From the fish auctions of Fort Kochi to a backwater kitchen where four generations still cook over firewood.
Kerala's coastline measures time in tides. The fishing boats come in at first light at Fort Kochi, the Chinese nets swing over the harbour mouth, and by seven the auction is over and the day's cooking has already been decided.
Start in Fort Kochi. Buy a fish at the quay and have it grilled in front of you with nothing more than lime, chilli and curry leaf. It is the simplest meal in the state and still the one our specialists send people to first.
Inland, the toddy shops do the heavy lifting. These unglamorous roadside kitchens serve karimeen pollichathu, pearlspot wrapped in banana leaf, alongside fiery beef fry and thick red rice. Ask your driver where he eats; that is always the better address.
Further south, the backwater kitchens of Kumarakom and Alleppey still cook over firewood. Spend a morning learning to grate coconut properly, to temper mustard seed until it pops, to know when a fish curry has had enough tamarind.
Finish in the hills. Cardamom, pepper and clove grow within a few miles of the tea estates around Thekkady, and a plantation lunch there is the clearest explanation of Kerala's spice history you will find.
