UK +44 (0)1367 850566

USA 1-855-216-5040

Sample fabulous foods and a culinary experience of a lifetime at a gorgeous Kerala Homestay

sample fabulous food and a culinary experience lead.jpg

Kerala’s cuisine is like its many enchanting geographical highlights - authentic, diverse and delightful. Kerala’s love affair with food has a long history - one that dates back to the early centuries when traders from across the world came to its shores enamored by stories about the region’s spices.

Many wars were fought to wrestle control over this spice coast. From the Greeks, Romans and the Arabs to the Portuguese, Dutch and the British - all those who came, left their own indelible mark on the region’s cuisine. Whilst the style of cuisine varies as you travel from region to region, you will find that ingredients such as spices, rice and coconuts, which are commonly grown in Kerala, find a place in every style of cooking.


It is this genius of being able to fuse local ingredients and styles with external influences that makes the culinary experience here fascinating. Today the cuisine of Kerala is a remarkable fusion of many distinctive and rich culinary varieties and offers you a gastronomical experience like no other.

Tourism today is more than just travelling to a place, sight-seeing and going back. People now look forward to learning a new culture, absorbing the ways of living, dressing, language, defense and so on of the destinations they pay a visit to.

One such aspect of tourism that has taken a stronghold is food. Culinary experiences are rapidly becoming a vital aspect of ones holiday. What better way to enjoy the cuisine than cooking and dining with a local family? We bring you this unique opportunity in which a local family will host you and walk you through every step of the cooking process – from sourcing local produce to preparing a delicious Keralan meal.

Banish all thoughts of what it’s like to stay with your in-laws, home stay families are incredibly hospitable and genuinely happy to be looking after their guests. In Kerala your home stay could be a plantation bungalow, backwater hideaway or restored colonial mansion. A couple of such home stays that top the charts are Philip Kuttys Farm and Ayesha Manzel.


Food is definitely one of the highlights of staying at Philip Kuttys farm. Being a traditional agrarian household, lavish meals are more or less the norm and pretty much a way of life. Meals are served either in the family dining room or outdoors in the courtyard or in the pavilion itself. The cuisine is predominantly Syrian Christian with a strong backwater influence.

Most of the dishes served are centered around fish, farm vegetables and fruits, duck, chicken and occasionally other meats, supplemented with rice and rice based local breads like appam, string hoppers etc. Some of our specialties are pearl spot fish fry, fish molee, prawn and scampi preparations, duck roast and curry, and red hot Kerala fish curry to name a few.

You can rediscover the rich heritage of this region and the flavours of traditional Kerala cuisine at Ayesha Manzil. Your hostess Ms. Faiza Moosa will teach you the secrets of making good, authentic curries. She is a well known culinary expert in Kerala Muslim cuisine and a week long holiday here will turn you too, into a Gourmet – Curry chef.

The Kerala coastline, especially Malabar being rich in Spices and fresh Seafood and no other community makes better use of this natural bounty than the "Mopillahs" - the Muslims of the North Kerala. Fresh Prawns, Shrimp, Crab, Mussels & Oysters are served up in sumptuous sauces and spicy curries.

Also common vegetables, a wide variety of rice and meat dishes - all delicately flavoured with the famed spices and coconuts of Malabar. Last but not least are the wide variety of unusual Desserts and snacks without which no Malabari feast would be complete.

A home stay offers the chance to experience a side of India that’s only possible by staying with a family. It’s a concept that originated in Kerala and an opportunity not to be missed.


The Explorations Company, where no two journeys have ever been the same

Would you like to know more?

Our team can help prepare a unique itinerary that best suits your personal interests  – no pressure, just
support and advice. Please complete your information and we will be in touch in no time.

As a guide, the cost of our extraordinary and utterly bespoke journeys tends to start from $1200 per person per day excluding international flights.

Can we take your details

About your journey

30 years badge

How many people in your party?

Adult
Children under 12

Explore with The Explorations Company

By Marcela Kunova - 20th April 2017

Nicola Shepherd, founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, organises unusual trips for HNW and UHNW clients ranging from birthday parties at an Indian Maharajah's palace to reliving Sir Vivian Fuchs's 1950s expedition to the South Pole. Citywealth caught ...

View Forward facing arrow

Our Guarantees To You

Premium service from one of the world's most knowledgeable travel companies

24/7 contact number

Your holiday is fully protected by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018

Flight-Inclusive Bonding: We are licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority and hold ATOL Number 7159

Flight-Exclusive bonding: Your holiday is further protected by our membership of ABTOT Membership Number 5197

logo