The best way to people’s purses is surely though their stomach. And if purses are let loose for a noble cause, what better way other than an international food festival? So here’s an invite to step out and have a dinner date with friends and family.
The Town Hall in Thrissur is abuzz with foodies and the aroma of a zillion dishes. Want to dig into Dum Biryani? Ney chor (ghee rice) or spicy “shaap” (toddy shop) specials? Or perhaps, a serving of Kerala’s all-time favorite kappa and meen (tapioca and fish curry)? Well, if that’s not enough, for the die-hard veggie, there’s paneer masala, cauliflower, aloo, rice, a spread of curries and what not! It’s a multicolored, multi-cuisine splash from Kerala’s south to the north that’s laid out in the Town Hall with the smell of spices, coconut oil and the masalas inviting one to “slurpy” food moments.
The international food fest, an innovative initiative of the Thrissur Town Lions Club, has the solid backing of the District Administration, the City Corporation, the Education Department, District Tourism Promotion Council and Suchitwa Mission. Catering to people’s taste buds is not the only purpose behind the venture. Over and above it all lies the noble cause of funding the maintenance and renovation of all schools within the Corporation limits and building better sanitation facilities.
There are 19 stalls with major hotels in Thrissur registering their participation. Spanish Masala, the “shaap” stall, is the biggest draw with people making a beeline for their special “karimen pollichathu” (pan-grilled pearl spot), crab, squid, clam, anchovy, mussels, mutton, liver, beef, duck, appam and kappa cooked to sinfully deliciously recipes.
There’s an array of biriyanis right from mutton, chicken and mutka to Hyderabadi flavors. The aroma of Arabian grilled chicken is another sure pull. For fish loves, the Fisheries Department has come up with a stall which serves 15 delectably different fish dishes. The typically “country stall” has the best of Kerala’s native cuisine which offers beef liver fry, brain (mutton) fry, chicken liver fry and roasted quail.
Vegetarians can take their pick from mushroom-pepper-chilli dosa, baby corn dosa, Manchurian dosa and an array of other dosas. There’s plenty more of veggie dishes to choose from.
The best is yet to come. Now for a bite of something sweet. The famous Kozhikode halwa, special ice creams, fresh juices aplenty and a yummy range of payasams await you. Don’t miss the chocolates and popcorn, meant to lure kids.
Takeaways have been arranged at the fest. There are seating facilities behind the stalls where folks can relax and dig into the dishes. So here’s to all foodies- live it up from 4 pm to 10 pm till the fest winds up Sunday.
