Kuttichira Food Trail: Exploring Kozhikode’s Hidden World of Traditional Delicacies

During the fasting season, to celebrate the festival of taste, let’s go to Kuttichira in Kozhikode and enjoy traditional delicacies. Let us trace a bit of history and the real beauty of taste behind their trademark dishes, too.

A Journey to Kozhikode’s Kuttichira

Biryani, halwa, ice sarbath, milk sarbath—these are the familiar sights that will fill the heart when you step into the streets of Kozhikode. So many dishes are prepared there, with flavours that seem to perform an oppana dance on the tongue. There are countless shops and kitchens. No matter what you eat, the taste of Kozhikode lingers in your mind and keeps calling you back.

But to truly celebrate the festival of flavours during this fasting season, let us go to Kuttichira. If taste is a path that leads to the heart, then every road in Kuttichira leads straight to the heartbeat itself. Whether it is a narrow by-lane or a main road, you cannot pass through without seeing food, hearing stories, or sensing rich aromas and the charm of flavours. Along with familiar favourites like unnakkaya and chatti pathiri, many lesser-known flavour stars such as pathiripaththu and mas curry smile from the kitchens of Kuttichira.

When Ramadan arrives, the snack-makers of Kuttichira become extremely busy. People come from different parts of the region in search of special delicacies. There is constant activity as snacks are prepared for iftar feasts, gatherings, mosques, and homes. Also read: A journey to North Kerala to discover the distinct tastes of Thalassery Cuisine.

History of Kuttichira

The story of Kuttichira and its traditional history

Let’s open an important chapter of Kuttichira’s rich tradition, unknown to outer world. Located to the east of Kozhikode South Beach, Kuttichira is a residential area centred around the Mishkal Mosque and the pond (chira). It is one of the most important places that proudly reflects India’s Muslim heritage and cultural richness. Also read: Tastes and Night vibes of Kozhikode Beach – An interesting note

Home of 3 ancient mosques

Kuttichira is home to three ancient mosques. The Mishkal Mosque was built in the 14th century by the Yemeni trader Nakhooda Mishkal, who arrived in Kozhikode. This mosque stands out for its beautiful architectural craftsmanship and is also a protected heritage monument. There are two more ancient mosques here: the Jumu’ath Mosque, believed to be over a thousand years old and expanded in the 14th century, and the Muchunthi Mosque, which bears engraved historical records.

Kuttichira is the heart of the Thekkepuram region. Thekkepuram is a coastal area stretching from Moonnalingal to Kothi in the city, and eastwards up to Vattam Poyil. What is now referred to as ‘Kuttichira taste’ is actually the food culture of Thekkepuram.

Traditional Delicacies You Must Try

Muttasurka, Channa, Stuffed Mutton

We heard the stories of the land. Now, let’s learn about the flavours. Let’s go to Karuthedath Tharavad near the Siyasco Library. In the flavour-filled kitchen run by V.S. Jamsheed and others, many delicacies are prepared—stuffed chicken, stuffed mutton, Kannuvacha pathiri, grilled channa (goat leg), grilled fish, chatti pathiri, meat pathiri, samosa, muttasurka, muttamala, and many more.

When you hear the name muttasurka, don’t assume it has anything to do with vinegar. It is a cake-like sweet made using egg white, sugar, and cardamom. They also run a catering service.

Enthumpidi – made by pounding dried dates

Jamsheed shared some food memories. “Long ago, there was a snack called enthumpidi, made by pounding dried dates, boiling them, and shaping them into balls. It contained meat and roasted coconut paste. If you started making it in the morning, it would be ready only by night. Since it took so much time to prepare, it slowly disappeared.”

In the cooking venture run jointly by a few active partners. All this knowledge came through generations. They learned these cooking techniques by watching mothers and sisters. This is a skill that requires hand control and precision. Not just how the dish is presented, but even the way ingredients are added needs great care.

Pathiri’s list is too long

 

Kuttichira’s influence is clearly visible in Kozhikode’s food culture and snack market. Small shops and food outlets across the city get their supplies from the Kuttichira area. There are many varieties of rice dishes available here —meat rice, coconut rice, tomato rice, mustard rice, anchovy rice, jaggery rice, fenugreek rice, shellfish rice—the list goes on. Even pathiri is not just one item. There are ghee pathiri, nice pathiri, thick pathiri, surka pathiri, stuffed pathiri, folded pathiri, fish pathiri, and many more varieties. Also have a look at my Pathiri Page, which lists a few more Pathiri recipes. 

There are special reasons why this land became famous for its culinary skills and rich snack traditions.

Mass Curry

“Mass” is the dried and processed tuna (a type of fish) brought from Lakshadweep. It can be stored for a long time without damage. It is available only in a few places in Kozhikode, such as Payyanakkal.

The fish mass, which looks like flakes, is cut and crushed. Onions and green chillies are sautéed, and ground coconut is added to it. This dish can be prepared effortlessly within 10 to 20 minutes. Mass was also used one generation ago. Chutney can also be made using mass.

There are many varieties of porridge prepared during the fasting season: semolina porridge, cumin porridge, wheat porridge, coconut porridge, green gram porridge, and more. Slightly ripe Nendran bananas (big sized Kerala banana), raw banana masala prepared with meat fry, and fish pathiri made with rice flour and fish are all rich in taste. There was also a dish called Kochikkoya prepared here, till some years ago.

Arrival of new flavours by the Kuttichira Chira

The next food stop is near the Kuttichira pond (chira). Here is a brief look at the snacks laid out: chatti pathiri, unnakkaya, kunjippidi, vazhaykka masala, meat cutlet, fish pathiri, kili­koodu, bread pola, fried mussels… Let’s learn about the gender equality in Kuttichira kitchens. From olden times itself, Kuttichira kitchens have never had a division between men and women. Both men and women cook equally. The recipes are close to everyone’s heart.

Kuttichira dum biriyani – whose taste and aroma stand out

Kuttichira dum biriyani stands apart for its taste and aroma. Unlike the usual method where rice, meat and masala are cooked separately, here the meat and masala are sautéed and kept aside for about an hour. Then they are placed at the bottom and top of the vessel, with half-cooked rice layered in between, and cooked on fire. The rice then cooks in the steam of the meat and masala. Kaima rice and kola rice are commonly used. The taste depends mainly on two things: one is the precision in mixing the masala, and the second factor is how dum is done.

In the recent years, the cooking traditions of Thekkeppuram have come together as a brand known as “Kuttichira Taste.” With Thekkeppuram as their base, food outlets have sprung up near South Beach and in various parts of Kozhikode.

Pathiri Pathu – Yet another delicacy

Before leaving Kuttichira, let us also see Chemmeen Pathiri Pathu. Along with traditional Kuttichira dishes, locals also prepare food for feasts and events. When tradition and innovation come together, the taste and appearance improve. That is how Prawn Pathiri Pathu was created.

When the lid of a beautiful vessel is opened, a snack-like dish is folded in front of us. It has the combined flavour of prawns and eggs. After tasting it, one cannot help but recall the famous old dialogue from Nivin Pauly’s Thattathin Marayath that goes,

“Sir… after this, I can’t see anything else…”

History Along the Paths of Taste

This is a region in Malabar where the marumakkathayam system existed among Muslims. In this system, after marriage, the husband stays in the wife’s house. Because of this, the custom of warmly hosting the ‘puthiyappila’ (the newly married groom) became strong. This food culture developed mainly as part of preparing rich and delicious dishes to honour the puthiyappila. At the same time, interaction with different communities encouraged people to experiment with new flavours and ingredients.

On the borders of Thekkeppuram lived Gujarati communities, Jains, and Parsi. Also, since this was a place where traders arrived by ship from Arab countries, foreign culinary influences naturally entered local kitchens. While tracing the history of taste, we know many new things. Read more about the village and tourism prospects. 

Locals prepared dishes appealing to foreign traders too

When traders came here, especially from other nations, they often stayed for two or three months. The local people would try to prepare dishes that suited their tastes. In earlier generations, there were people like Moideen Haji who even travelled abroad to prepare feasts. All these factors together may explain the extraordinary variety of flavours found in Kuttichira.

There are many rituals and feasts associated with marumakkathayam marriages. After the wedding, there is a ceremony of taking offerings to the groom’s house. Since it is also a matter of prestige for the bride’s family, nothing is done half-heartedly.

Usually, there will be a long spread of dishes such as stuffed chicken, stuffed mutton, eye-shaped pathiri, chattipathiri, and various types of snacks. And the ceremonies do not stop there. There is the betel-leaf offering to honour elders on the wedding eve called the puthukkam ceremony, where both families formally get to know each other. Other major events include the moodiyamanam feast to host the groom and his friends on the wedding night, the puthiyappachaya kudi the next day, and the ammayithakkaram, where elders and relatives from the groom’s family are invited.

For occasions like ammayithakkaram, special dishes such as muttamala and muttusurukka are prepared. Muttamala, made using only egg yolks, requires great patience, precision, and time.

Have a look at my Kerala Cuisine page, which lists stories about traditional dishes across Kerala. Click the links to read.