Mattancherry is a historic neighbourhood in Kerala, celebrated for its charming colonial-era buildings. While the Dutch, Portuguese and Jewish communities left an enduring architectural legacy, migrants from across India have enriched the area in another way —through the culinary traditions they continue to sustain, finds Hanna Paul.

At first glance, Mattanchery looks and feels like a historic neighbourhood. It is small, but deceptively so, home to over 39 communities comfortably housed within its five-kilometre radius.

I begin my walk on the road behind Dutch Palace, a narrow street that looks rather ordinary. A faint aroma of sandalwood fills the air, as I pass houses with pronounced front porches and hand-drawn kolams on either side of the street. This area is home to the Iyers from Tamil Nadu. A few metres down the road, the scenery changes: lassi shops and sweet-makers mark a Gujarati neighbourhood. A few turns ahead, a line of Kannadiga homes appear with beautiful deities at their entrance. Further along, large apartment complexes reveal a cluster of Jain families, sharing a wall with the neighbourhood’s Muslim communities.

Every few turns, the sounds and smells change. Each street corner opens into a new world, with unique traditions and subtle differences in architecture. Each microcosm has its own places of worship, upholding distinct rituals, ceremonies and cuisines.

The multitude of communities extend beyond the borders of the Indian subcontinent as remnants of colonisation remain, primarily visible in the architecture. Fort Kochi and Mattanchery were invaded by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the English. Until very recently, the town was home to several Jewish families too.

This guide is a glimpse into some of the many distinct communities in the neighbourhood, and the foods that define them.

Upma Kozhukkattai from the Tirunelveli Iyers

Elaborate arches embellished with elephants flanking a deity mark the entrance to the Iyer colony, home to the Brahmins from Tirunelveli and Madurai. They first came to Mattanchery for undi kachodam (a term used for money lenders). “They came from Thirunelveli and met the Kochi Raja, who was giving away parcels of land to various communities,” explains Radhakrishnan Raju, a high priest at the 400-year-old Thekkemadom Sree Dharmasastha Temple. The Kochi Raja at the time was most likely Ravi Varma or his predecessor Veera Kerala Varma, from the 16th century. They gave away over three acres of land, and invited several communities to stay. The Gujaratis set up their own places of worship and the Konkanis were allotted an area called Cherlai.

The Iyers’ strictly vegetarian fare includes idlis, dosas and vadas, and savoury dumplings called upma kozhukattai, a popular prasadam served during Ganesh Chaturthi, best paired with coconut chutney.

Where to try it: Sukanya Catering, opposite the Thekkemadom Dharma Sastha temple in Mattanchery.