Culture & terms · Malabar food glossary
Calicut (Kozhikode)
Also known as: Kozhikode, Calecut
The historic Malabar port city, officially Kozhikode, that gave English the word "calico" and anchors the region’s food heritage.
Calicut — officially Kozhikode — is a city on the Malabar coast of Kerala that was, for centuries, one of the great trading ports of the Indian Ocean. Ibn Battuta described it as a major harbour in the 14th century, and Vasco da Gama landed here in 1498, opening the European sea route to the Indian spice trade.
The English word "calico" derives from Calicut, after the cotton cloth traded through its port. The same centuries of trade shaped the city’s Mappila food culture — the source of the Malabar snacks Calicut Cravings cooks today.