The Malabar coastal region and the third largest city
in Kerala, Kozhikode formerly called Calicut, is situated on the northern
part of the state. Having great cultural traditions and jargon of its
own, the city is a major trading center for spices and tiles and sometimes
known as the 'land of spices'. The name Kozhikode is derived from the
words Koyil (palace) and Kodu ( fortified). The city found its place
in world history when Portuguese navigator Vasco De Gama discovered
this as a sea route to India in 1498. Kozhikode is know by various names;
Arabs called it Kalikat and Chinese Kalifo. During the conquest of Malabar,
Tippu Sulthan tried to change the name of the city to Ferozabad. The
city is popular for its Kozhikodan Halwas, a sweet dish made by flour
and jaggery and the traditional Muslim food especially seafood cuisines
made out of prawns, crabs, lobster and shell creature known as kallummekkaya
or kadukka. Today, ancient monuments,