The kitchen
We work out of a licensed kitchen in Calicut. Kozhi Ada is folded and crimped by hand, fried and sealed; banana chips are sliced thin, fried in coconut oil, salted and sealed. Both keep three months, so what reaches you is what left the kitchen sealed - nothing thawed, nothing reheated. We don't outsource production and we don't drop-ship: if the kitchen is closed for a festival, the shop is closed too.
The recipes
The recipes we cook trace back to the Mappila Muslim culinary tradition of north Kerala - the snack culture shaped by centuries of Arab and Portuguese trade through the Calicut harbour. Kozhi Ada is the centrepiece because it is the one Malabar snack people search for by name. The recipe library on this site covers Unnakaya, Chatti Pathiri and the rest of that tradition - cooked and documented, not sold.
Why "Calicut Cravings"
Calicut (officially Kozhikode [2] ) was one of the great harbours of the Indian Ocean. Ibn Battuta described it as such in the 14th century. Vasco da Gama landed here in 1498 [3] , opening the European leg of the spice route. Cotton cloth from this coast travelled west under the name calico - and the English word still survives as a daily reminder that Calicut once sat at the centre of the world's appetite for spice and fabric.
We named the brand after that exchange. The same trade winds that brought Arab dates, Portuguese chillies and Persian fennel into Malabar kitchens still live in the food we cook.
Who we ship to
We ship pan-India. The brand is built for the families of Gulf-based Malayalis [4] who cannot fly home for every festival: you pay from abroad, we deliver to a Kerala or metro-India address. International shipping is not yet open; it is on our roadmap.
What we don't do
- We don't sell on Amazon or Flipkart - marketplaces strip the context that matters for food like this.
- We don't paraphrase someone else's recipes. If we publish a recipe, we cook it ourselves.
- We don't claim shelf-life numbers we can't back up. Both packs carry a three-month best-before, printed on the pack.
Certifications
- FSSAI licence - 21324247000581.
Press & partnerships
For press, recipe collaborations or wholesale enquiries, please use the Contact page or write to support@calicutcravings.com .
Sources
- 1. "Calico." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico
- 2. "Kozhikode." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kozhikode
- 3. "Vasco da Gama." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama
- 4. "From Malabar to UAE: Kerala snacks at NRI Iftar gatherings." Onmanorama, 2024. onmanorama.com
Frequently asked
Who is behind Calicut Cravings?
Calicut Cravings is founder-led by Abdulla K P, cooking from a kitchen in Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala.Where is the kitchen?
In Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala, India. Full address, phone and hours are on our Contact page.Why call it Calicut Cravings?
Because the English word "calico" - the cotton cloth that clothed half of Europe in the 1600s - comes from Calicut. The city was the eastern terminus of the spice-and-cloth route for centuries. We took the name to revive that food heritage.Do you write all the content on this site?
Yes - every recipe, guide and product description is written and edited by our team. No syndicated content.