4 Days Food Tours in Kerala, India

  • Haritha Farms, The Pimenta Spice Garden Bungalows, Kadalikad Post, 686670 Kerala, India

Culinary Tours in India

Join a four days intensive Kerala hands-on cooking experience. Indulge into Indian and south Indian food, while you learn a wide range of dishes, as well as the best methods to cook them. Seize cooking demonstrations, join cooking sessions, private dinners, and relax in the cooking residency. Relish vegetarian food, visit markets, enjoy a short tour of the region as well as related culinary tours. If you are a food lover, passionate cook or traveler, this holiday is for you!

Highlights

  • 3 hands-on cooking sessions
  • Beautiful surroundings along Kerala
  • Market visits and short tour around the region
  • Daily breakfast, 3 lunches and 3 dinners
  • Transportation during the holiday
  • 3 nights accommodation
  • 3 days with instruction
  • English
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The Pimenta Spice Garden Bungalows are clean and comfortable cottages with private verandas, built in the traditional style, overlooking the lush native forest. You will be staying in one clean and comfortable cottage, on a family run spice forest garden, with private bathrooms, shower, water closet, and sink. All the cottages have two twin beds and private bathroom. The accommodation is away from the communal area, so that you can be sociable or private as you wish. Hot water and filtered water safe to drink are available. The Pimenta puts emphasis on giving guests a taste of traditional Kerala country life, away from the tourist trail. You will have the option to relax, get a taste of traditional Kerala country life, and experience the friendly welcome of the people from the village.

Day 1 - Arrival, cooking demonstration

  • Light lunch orientation
  • Cooking basics and demonstrations
  • Afternoon cooking session
  • Dinner

Day 2 - Cooking class

  • Breakfast
  • Short tour of the region
  • Light lunch
  • Relaxing time
  • Afternoon cooking session
  • Dinner

Day 3 - Market visit, cooking class

  • Breakfast
  • Market visits / related culinary tours
  • Light lunch
  • Relaxing time
  • Afternoon cooking session
  • Dinner

Day 4 - Departure

  • Breakfast
  • Farewell
  • Enjoy a short tour of the region
  • Visit markets and related culinary tours

In the early 14th century, Kerala was ruled by three major kingdoms: Travancore in the south, Kochi in the middle, and Zamorin of the Calicut in the north. These kingdoms also had very powerful principalities inside them. One of the principalities of former Travancore is called Vadakkumkur, comprising the present day Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha and Meenachil areas.

This region was the European explorer's dream, and Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese captain, discovered Kerala and Pimenta. Today, travelers find Kerala but can rarely explore the treasure trove of the Kerala Midlands, because most of the so called guidebooks and accommodation directories have not discovered this place, or any of the other interesting places in the Midlands.

Nearby places

  • Cochin International Airport (COK), 50 kilometers - 1 hour drive
  • Ernakulam Junction, 55 kilometers - 1 hour 15 minutes drive
  • Kottayam Railway Station, 65 kilometers - 1 hour 30 minutes drive
Activities
  • Boating nearby
  • Cooking classes
  • Diving nearby
  • Fishing nearby
  • Hiking nearby
  • Kayaking nearby
  • Mountain walking / trekking nearby
  • Swimming nearby
 General
  • Beach nearby
  • Dining area
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Garden
  • Kitchen
  • River nearby
 Services
  • Free bottled water
  • Internet access
  • Library
  • Local market
  • Wireless internet

During this hands-on private cooking holiday, you will have the opportunity to indulge into a variety of eastern Kerala specialties, as well as other Indian dishes, home cooked with the flavor and aroma of fresh farm grown spices and coconut. The food is tasty, healthy, and vegetarian. The Pimenta tries to incorporate organic food as far as possible and local grown food, is also a priority. The coffee served is farm grown. You can make your own coffee, tea or fresh lime soda in the communal area. It is possible to have green tea as well as various herbal teas, and seasonal tropical fruits are always available.

  • Climb local hills and enjoy spectacular flora, fauna and village life views
  • Explore Kumarakom, Munnar,Thekkady, Idukki ,Vagamon, Alleppey, Vaikom and Cochin
  • Get lost in tea gardens, pineapple groves, rice fields and working rubber plantations
  • Swim in the fresh water river
  • Visit an elephant training centre
  • 3 cooking sessions
  • All trips and transportation mentioned in the activities
  • Breakfast, light lunch and dinner for three days
  • Entry fees
  • Food at restaurants
  • Safe filtered bottled drinking water
  • Airfare
  • Any taxes to be levied
  • Optional activities
  • Taxi fare for pick up and drop (can be arranged on request at actual costs from airport, railway station and destinations nearby)
  • Tips

Arrival by airplane

Please arrive at Cochin International Airport (COK).

Arrival by train

Please arrive at Ernakulam Junction or at Kottayam Railway Station.

  • A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
  • The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
  • The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
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Testimonials

  • Review by Kristinatengelin from Sweden
    10 out of 10

    "My sisters and I did the Curry Magic and had the most wonderful time. Jacob was a very generous and kind host and organized many interesting things for us to do in order to experience the real Kerala and the surrounding area. The cooking sessions were both fun and educational, and - above all - ultimately turned into delicious meals. The spice garden itself was a perfect escape from the buzz and the heat, and so we were able to enjoy some leisure time on the porch. The accommodation was very comfortable and newly renovated. Jacob also helped us with recommendations and helpful advice for other parts of our journey. All in all, we were very happy with our stay at the Pimenta and will definitely come back again!"

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by a traveler from United Kingdom
    10 out of 10

    "What an amazing find and the perfect introduction to our first trip to India. Jacob helped us out when two days before we were due to arrive in Kerala our accommodation plans fell through, and we were looking for somewhere a little bit unusual, rural but still comfortable - and ideally with amazing food. Pimenta was all of these things and more. Jacob is an amazing host, and gets the balance of looking after us vs making sure we had enough space to relax absolutely spot on. The bungalows are the perfect place to rest, and are clean, cool and comfortable. The food was delicious and plentiful, made even more enjoyable by Jacob's explanations of what we were eating and why (and his patience throughout an afternoon of cooking with my husband!). The best though was the range of activities - Jacob quickly assessed what we would be interested in, and was able to offer a tailored itinerary at a very reasonable rate. We visited spice harvesting, fabulous markets, took a river boat ride, and visit local farms. Absolutely spot on for some smallholders from the UK looking to visit our Indian equivalents! All in all a perfect start to our trip."

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by Natalia A. from Australia
    10 out of 10

    "We had a fantastic time at Pimenta. Jacob was a very kind and hospitable host. We enjoyed learning to cook meals, sharing them, as well as relaxing. Would recommend this to anyone as an experience."

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by a traveler from Australia
    10 out of 10

    "This small scale "retreat" was the only accommodation we had in India with proper mosquito screening in the bedrooms. The Wi-Fi is excellent. Jacob's food is delicious and always freshly cooked. The location is very quiet. Jacob prefers guests who stay several days at least, making a serene and restful ambience. I might suggest Jacob to have a local map ready for guests to orient themselves while staying here, perhaps a logbook too (for guests to record interesting experiences while staying here). Many thanks Jacob, your establishment is uniquely restful!"

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by Jenny K. from Australia
    10 out of 10

    "My two friends and I decided to try a two day cook and stay at the Pimenta on our month long India trip. It was well worth the tour to Central Kerala. We stayed in a cozy bungalow, surrounded by beautiful spice plants and greenery. Jacob was a wonderful host, which guided us through two nights of cooking the most incredible dinners.On top of that he took us on a tour of the local markets out for a delicious thali lunch, and took us to see the most talented truck painters, which really blew our minds. I highly recommend the trip to Pimenta, whether you're looking for a longer cooking course or even just a few days of learning some really great recipes and relaxing!"

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by a traveler from Australia
    10 out of 10

    "This small scale "retreat" was the only accommodation we had in India with proper mosquito screening in the bedrooms. The Wi-Fi is excellent. Jacob's food is delicious and always freshly cooked. The location is very quiet. Jacob prefers guests who stay several days at least, making for a serene and restful ambiance. I might suggest Jacob have a local map ready for guests to orient themselves while staying here, perhaps a logbook too (for guests to record interesting experiences while staying here). Many thanks Jacob, your establishment is uniquely restful!"

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by Danya G.
    10 out of 10

    "The Pimenta cooking holiday was a wonderful experience! I stayed there for five days in February 2015 and enjoyed the lovely bungalows, peaceful garden setting, and excellent hospitality. Jacob, the host and owner, was very attentive and flexible in responding to what I was interested in cooking, and what I was interested in exploring around the area. We visited several small towns, went on a spice walk, and visited one of the tea plantations up in the hills. I would highly recommend going there for anyone interested in learning about southern Indian cooking and wanting an experience outside the touristy areas."

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by a traveler from United Kingdom
    10 out of 10

    "I've never eaten so much wonderful vegetarian food in my life, let alone such great food cooked by myself! My mum and I spent a cooking holiday at Pimenta with Jacob and during that time he made us feel like family, not just guests. Not only was the cooking great fun, I learned a lot about the spices we were using and how best to bring out their flavors, and this course really opened my eyes to vegetarian cooking. Pimenta's bungalows are divine with lovely attention to detail, pristinely kept, and best of all, unlimited hot water! It was also my mum's 50th birthday when we were staying at Pimenta and Jacob bought her flowers and cake and he also took us to a lovely restaurant for dinner - true five-star personal service! I would thoroughly recommend a stay here. We explored the local surroundings each day (from truck painters to a rubber band factory), took some time to relax, away from the tourist hoards in Cochin, and we ate lots (sometimes too much!) incredible food, cooked by ourselves under Jacob's instruction. While I love my tandoori chicken, I never knew veg dishes could be so tasty! Great teacher, great place. Thanks Jacob, we had a lovely time!"

    TripAdvisor website, edited

  • Review by Bron and Chris from United Kingdom
    9 out of 10

    "Hello Jacob, it was good to see your new website. I think it gives a clear picture of your place. We have so many memories of our stay with you and enjoy cooking the recipes that we learnt. Our best wishes to you, your mother, and Manu."

    The Pimenta website, edited

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4 Days Food Tours in Kerala, India

The Pimenta

Kerala, India

The Pimenta is a family-owned green business in the midlands of Kerala, providing cooking holidays and authentic Keralan experience.

from --

4 days / 3 nights

Available weekly Thursday and Sunday

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