Hurrah! Halwa, biriyani, banana fry

The mouth-watering chicken biriyani at Shoranur railway station, yummy banana fries of Palakkad and the much-acclaimed Kozhikode halwas occupy the fifth, ninth and tenth places respectively in the list and are listed as must try if you travel by train through these places. Only ten railway stations are featured in the list, and all the three come under Palakkad railway division, a rare feat by it.

The list has been prepared using railway commuters’ rating from all over India and contains their comments. While train passengers at Shoranur railway station praised the quality of food, passengers at Kozhikode described the variety of halwas they were able to savour.

A traveller, Sriman, said about the food at Palakkad station: “The food, especially savouries like Pazham Pori ( banana fry), Chakka Varuthathu ( jackfruit chips), Neimeen Porichathu (seer fish fry) were awesome to taste.”

“Being a major station and junction in the Palakkad division, we have to deal with several passengers and trains unlike other stations. So to avoid difficulties for passengers, we have always ensured the best quality in our products. Moreover, the catering inspectors do routine check-up and enforce stringent rules. May be this has ensured the quality and taste of the food in our division. Moreover, Shoranur and Palakkad are traditional food locations and are largely influenced by Valluvanad cuisine. For cooking, we use fresh oils. The difference in oil changes the taste markedly,” said K.T. Shafi, who owns a catering outlet at Shoranur station.

Kozhikode halwas have already a good reputation and railway officials here think that this has helped them to be listed. “One of the top-moving eatables at Kozhikode station is halwas. Calicut halwas are renowned. We are buying these from outside shops, which already have a good reputation in the city. The specialty of the halwas is the variety and the way it is cooked,” says an official at Kozhikode station.