THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city has turned out to be the perfect spot to tantalise your tastebuds with some delectable , traditional culinary specialities of Kerala. At the first-of-its-kind food festival being organised as part of Keraleeyam, the elaborate food fair is being held at eight locations, from Manaveeyam Veedhi to East Fort.
The seven-day-long food fair kicked off on November 1 and features flavours from across the state. From Ramassery Idli, Vanasundari chicken, many regional biryanis, puttu and kadala, and dry fish varieties to pazhamkanji and ayasam, the fair has around 130 stalls spread across the capital.
Abhi Krishnan, a caterer who came from Kadalundi, is expecting more business during the weekend. “Leghorn chicken biryani is our speciality. Here broiler chicken is used for preparing dum biryani and other biryani varieties,” says Abhi, who is operating at the food fair at Putharikandam. “We have been open for the past two days. Because of the rain, we didn’t get many visitors. We are expecting more people over the weekend,” he adds.
For those who want to try out street delicacies, a street food festival is on at Spencer-Vanross Junction. An array of shops have been set up featuring momos, chats and a wide variety of snacks and desserts. Abdul Hameed, who is a regular at food fairs across the state, is delighted to take part in the fair. “I have been active in the food fair circuit across the state since 1995. We make traditional peanut candies and my stall here sells hot bajis, gobi manchurian fry, noodles and more,” he says.
The food fest at Manaveeyam Veedhi showcases traditional cuisines of Kerala from ‘Pazamkanji’ to dried fish dishes, while the stall at University College showcases ethnic dishes. The food counters at Tagore Theatre are attracting scores of foodies because of the tribal specialities. From Manjali biryani, ‘unda puttu’, mula ari payasam, chakka payasam, kappa dishes and items made of gandhakasala rice are available here.
Sunoj E S, who came from Wayanad to showcase tribal delicacies, says that the response is good. “We are giving all our dishes at a reduced rate so that more people will try them. Mula ari payasam is one of the trending dishes and we have unda puttu. We are also featuring some of the rare tribal products, including honey and millet-based items,” says Sunoj.
“The prices of raw materials like jaggery are more than double compared to the prices in Wayanad. We didn’t expect such a price hike. We are not focusing on making any profit as we are experiencing unexpected cost escalation,” he adds.
In addition to this, a five-star food mela is ongoing at Central Stadium. The event will come to an end on Tuesday.