Here’s What To Bring Back From Kozhikode

There’s a lot to explore in the city that blossomed as an essential trading centre for the Portuguese. Located along the Malabar coast, the city continues to revel in its glorious history and spectacular natural beauty. However, you can take more from your visit than just memories of serene beaches and backwaters. 

 

 

Buying a cotton saree from Kozhikode isn’t just adding another to your collection. It is about taking back a tangible piece of the city’s history and heritage. The story of Calico–the unbleached, semi-processed cotton textile native to the city–dates back to the 11th Century, when the British East India Company industrialised the production to transport the subcontinent’s finest material to Europeans. Now, you can buy a patch of this unique history in the form of a saree or shirt splattered with colourful and intricate patterns. 

 

Where to buy: SM Street, Palayam

 

If you are searching for something truly unique and never seen before, then you must set out on the search for Koyilandy hookah, also known as Malabar hookah. The distinctive handicraft reflects another time in Kerala’s history–when the trading relations between Malabar and the Middle East flourished more than 500 years ago. 

This bulbous-shaped hookah vessel came into being when a Yemeni trader commissioned local artisans from the Kosava community to make one for him. However, its speciality does not just owe itself to its unlikely shape but the intricate and elaborate process of making it, which is divided into five parts. To get your hands on this indigenous craft, you may have to travel to Koyilandy, which lies approximately 26 km away from the city and can be reached by road.  

 

Where to buy: Manufacturing units located in Koyilandy 

 

 

Kozhikode district is dipped in green, with vast forests cocooning cities and towns. These forests boast rich flora, fauna, and abundant rosewood trees. Therefore, if you’re visiting Kozhikode, you must hunt down handcrafted artefacts made specifically using this sturdy wood. From figurines of Krishna to Nataraja, they are painstakingly crafted into intricate works of art. 

 

Where to buy: SM Street, Palayam 

 

The traditional halwa available across sweet shops in Kozhikode is far from its north Indian counterpart. The dessert, believed to be brought to the coast by the Arab traders, is prepared with rice, jaggery and coconut milk. Unlike the halwas up north, these are plated as a block or are neatly cut into small squares and come in various flavours, such as chilli, passion fruit, chocolate, etc. 

Where to buy: Sankaran Bakery in SM Street, Mitayitheru, Palayam