24 Hours in Thalassery: A Photo Essay

Aysha Tanya takes you through her hometown and shows you the best way to spend a day in town (tl;dr: eating). 

Thalassery was put on the map when the most sought-after spice, black pepper, was named after it. Back in 1000 BC, King Solomon’s fleet is said to have arrived at Beypore, near Kozhikode, in search of spices, including pepper. The Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Malay, Portuguese, Dutch and, finally, the British came to these shores, lured by the promise of exotic spices. Besides this important contribution to the culinary world, Thalassery is also known as the place where the first cake in India was baked, and the first game of cricket played.

Thalassery often gets a bad rap because it isn't as glitzy as its neighbour Kozhikode, or quite as picturesque as its other neighbour, Kannur. But look a little deeper, and this sleepy town in north Malabar has a charm that's entirely its own. 

Thalassery is known for its love affair with seafood. Start your day by watching the fishermen shuck clams and oysters (yes, oysters) under Dharmadam bridge. 

The clams, with shells that are coloured with every shade of the rainbow, are then taken to the market to be sold. 

To understand the soul of Thalassery, you need to walk through the fish market. The heart and soul of this sea-side city, it hosts not just fresh fish, straight off the boats, but also an assortment of dried fish and pickled fish.

Walk over to the beach next door. Watch the pastel-coloured boats come in. Pretend you’re in Europe. 

They say that sea breeze makes you hungry, and the best place in town to head to with an appetite is the iconic Paris Hotel, most famous for its Tellicherry biryani.  

Order a plate of fish biryani, if it isn’t sold out already. The coconut chutney served alongside is optional, but the sulaimani tea that comes after is mandatory. 

To pass the time before the evening stalls open, walk to the church behind the fort and marvel at the most handsome fig tree in town. 

Resist eating the figs, however. 

At 5 o'clock, head to the blue carts parked next to the fish market to sample some arikadduka, Tellicherry’s most prized snack – stuffed and fried mussels. 

The feeling as you bite into a spicy arikadduka, followed by a sip of hot chai is unexplainable. Pay special attention to the blaring radio, which on closer inspection turns out to be a speaker with a plugged-in USB masquerading as a radio. 

Watch the sun set over the piers, as the fishermen bring in the last catch of the day. 

When hunger strikes again head to Adithya Hotel, next to the fort.

For more seafood, of course. 

Aysha Tanya is the co-founder of Goya Media. When not working at Goya, she enjoys reading and marvelling at the wide range of mustard types available in the supermarket. 

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