The city has often charmed food buffs with its brand items like the 'Kozhikoden halwa' or the 'avil milk'.
But as the scorching heat slowly grips the city, people are after liquid varieties that can chill their body and mind alike.
And the most popular is the sherbet stall located close to the Paragon Restaurant, which has become a crowd puller.
More than any other hot delicacy, the milk sherbet served by Kumar's Sherbet Stall has become popular with consumers of late.
People travelling along the Kannur Road from Mananchira would often be forced to halt for a second at the curious sight of the crowd bustling in front of a small shop with a tiled roof and unplastered walls.
The sherbet stall does not have modern amenities, including a fridge or freezer.
But the owners ensure the purity of water, with a water purifier installed.
Even the tumblers are washed with this water.
Shop owner Anandakumar, a plump man comfortably seated on a stool, would be filling a number of long tumblers with milk mixed with sherbet and slices of ice.
And his helpers would be arranging boiled milk in bottles from the aluminum can often used by milk vendors.
Another man would be preparing a hot 'nannari' sherbet on a hearth.
A single sip is enough for one to realise the difference between the sherbet served here and elsewhere.
The richness of milk and its original taste lingers forever, reminding anyone to drop by during their visit to the city.
Apart from milk sherbet, mint sherbet, soda sherbet and pure lime juice are also served.
Anandakumar, who prepares and serves the mouthwatering delicacies, hardly gets time for anything else.
Shiva Prasad, an employee at the Hotel Taj, said: "It is the best soft drink joint in the city.
Hygiene is always maintained here.
Everybody can enjoy the items served here.”
Shivaprasad adds that he visits the joint twice a day for savouring the exotic sherbets.
The joint is frequented by celebrities, including Minister M K Muneer, Thomas Isaac MLA, Suresh Gopi and Jayaram.
An old radio tape recorder, a wooden money box and wooden plank doors give the shop an old-world charm.
Over 100 litres of milk are used every day to prepare over 1,000 glasses of milk sherbet.
Apart from retail, the shop also runs a wholesale unit for other petty shops.
Anandkumar and brothers, present owners of the shop, are the third generation of the shop founders.
Juicy Red Bites
Watermelon is yet another favourite summer delicacy to the visitors arriving in the city.
The Mananchira Square has many water melon sellers, many who have been engaged in serving this juicy fruit for decades.
Mohammed Rasheed says that his sale has doubled during the past two weeks.
More than a decade he has been serving water melon, sliced and crushed, to the city dwellers and visitors.
"Apart from autorickshaw drivers who frequent my stall, I have several regular customers from places like Palakkad and Kannur who visit my stall whenever they happen to visit the city," says Rasheed.
“We get the feeling of savouring a sumptuous liquid food while consuming crushed watermelon from Rasheed’s stall,” a few auto drivers who had gathered near his stall said.
“My work begins at 6 am at the Palayam market.
It takes more than an hour to select best quality water melons.
Profit may not be high but customer satisfaction is my biggest asset,” quips Rasheed.