Thalassery cuisine

The Thalassery cuisine refers to the distinct cuisine from Thalassery town of northern Kerala, which has blended in Arabian, Persian, Indian and European styles of cooking as a result of its long history as a maritime trading post. Thalassery is known for its Tellicherry biryani (in local dialect, biri-yaa-ni). Unlike other biryani dishes Thalassery biryani is made using kaima/jeerakasala, an Indian aromatic rice instead of the usual basmati rice. Influences of Arabian and Moghul cultures are evident, especially in the dishes of the Muslim community, though they have also become popular generally. Thalassery also occupies a special place in the modern history of Kerala as the pioneer of its bakery industry, since the first bakery was started by Mambally Bapu in 1880 and the Western-style cakes were introduced in 1883. There are broadly two classes of non-vegetarian cuisine in Kerala: Malabar cuisine, which is from North Kerala, and Syrian-Christian cuisine which is from the South (Travancore and Kochi regions). The two are clearly distinct: the former has Mughlai-Arab, Portuguese, British, Dutch, and French influences and the latter includes a mix of Kerala traditional dishes rich in coconut, as well as various recipes of Syrian, Jewish, Dutch, Portuguese and British origin. Most dishes of Malabar cuisine, including Thalassery biryani, involve frying in ghee. There are sweet and spicy variants and they are predominantly non-vegetarian. Some typical examples include , , , (mussels) fry, (stuffed fried mussels) and with chicken, mutton, prawns, fish and egg, as well as sweeteners such as and Kadalapparippu ada. The sweeteners are mostly used as snacks to be consumed in the afternoon or early evening. Biryani was introduced into the region due to Islamic influence and the recipe gradually evolved into Thalassery biryani. Biryani is traditionally seen only as an occasional serving and not as staple food. Thalassery faloodha is a regional variant of the Persian dessert.