Central University of Punjab, Bathinda

PROJECT PROPOSAL
“MALABAR FOOD CULTURE – A MELTING
POT OF CUISINES AND ITS INFLUENCE
ON SOCIAL CHANGES: A SOCIOLOGICAL
STUDY IN KOZHIKODE, KERALA”

SUBMITTED BY:
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

Tharakan Sreenath Dr. Aditya Ranjan

Chandramohan Kapoor
Reg. No.: 19MASOLG05
Head of the Department
M. A. Sociology
Department of Sociology
Central University of Punjab
Central University of Punjab
Malabar Food Culture – A Melting Pot of
Cuisines and its influence on Social
Changes: A Sociological Study in
Kozhikode, Kerala

ABSTRACT

Through the proposed project, I look forward to understand how food influences various
sociological aspects of a society. The study will be conducted in Kozhikode district, Kerala,
India. Even though food has a major significance in the functioning of a society, Sociology of
Food is not considered to be in par with other contemporary branches of Sociology.
Kozhikode is famous for its wide varieties of foods. From the historical periods itself,
Kozhikode (the erstwhile capital of Malabar District) was like a melting pot of the recipes
around the world due to ancient trade, colonization and migration. But still there are only a
few sociological studies being conducted in this field. This paper intends to understand the
food culture of Malabar as a part of cultural complex which is influenced by a variety of
sociological factors. For this project, different research methods like in-depth interviews,
non-participant observation, unobtrusive measures and analysis of data from different
articles, journals and websites will be adopted for the collection of data. The study will be
based on qualitative data analysis through an ethnographic approach. I hope this study will
provide insights for further researches in this field.

Keywords: Melting Pot; Cuisine; Food Culture; Colonization; Standardization;

Globalization;
INTRODUCTION

Food can be a powerful site for transformative participation (Ridenour, 2014). So attempts to
describe and understand the complex interrelations between food and society deserve a
special attention and elevation to a position equal to that of the major themes of
contemporary sociology. Due to the countless interlinked and interacting human and non-
human elements, the human food chain can be imagined as the core sub-system of the social
system as a whole, the very foundation of human social organization. In order to understand
the development of modern food system, it is necessary to have the knowledge of both
continuity and change in the social processes which shape the ways in which food is
produced, distributed and consumed. Changes in food production, food consumption and
even food symbolism, all are linked to broader processes of change involving
industrialization, rationalization, globalization, labour market restructuring, long-term
modifications in gender roles and gender expectations, and far reaching ideological and
cultural shifts in the ways in which we view our relationships with other humans and with the
natural world (Beardsworth and Keil, 2002).

Even though historically, mainstream sociology has always placed a strong emphasis on the
analysis of the processes of production and on the idea that work and work roles play a
crucial part in creating individual identity and in locating the individual in the wider social
order, it is only in recent times that there has been a shift from this production centred
approach towards a greater concern with the dynamics of consumption (Bocock, 1993). And
in a way, the sociology of food and eating had foreseen this trend.

Food in India is a marker of identity of religion, caste, class, ethnicity, family, kinship,
lineage, tribe affiliation and more of secular group identification. How one eats, what one
eats, with whom, when and why, plays an important role in understanding the Indian social
landscape as well as the relationships, statuses, emotions and transaction of people in it
(Srinivas, 2011). In Kerala, it is very evident that the cuisines and eating practices are totally
connected with the society and culture of that place. Every unique cuisine would have
multiple tales to give an account about the community, the region, the ethnicity, history,
myths and values and so being an essential element of culture, the traditional cuisines of
places are maintained intact and passed down the generations (Abraham, 2019).
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

As a Melting Pot:

Malabar cuisine is a combination of vegetarian, non- vegetarian and sea foods. It is a blend of
indigenous dishes as well as foreign dishes. Among indigenous the Syrian Christians,
Mappilas, Kerala Jews, and Hindu communities of Thiyyas, Nairs, Nambudiry and other
lower castes are marked by their own identity in Food culture. The cuisine is linked in all its
richness to history, geography, demography and culture of land. Merchants from Arab,
Greece, Rome, had contributed their share towards food culture of Malabar. Tamil influence
could be seen behind popularity of sambar, idli and dosa. European influence is reflected in
numerous bakeries, selling cakes, cream horn and bread. The introduction of potato, tomato
and chilli from Latin America also became part of taste of Malabar. The vegetables like
carrot, cauliflower, cabbage and fruits like apple, pine apple, guava, etc are contribution of
Europeans. Recently, the migration to gulf from 1970s onwards has further brought a
dramatic change in tastes and cuisine of Malabar (Khamarunnisa, 2016).

Kerala food practices of cuisine, serving, styles of hospitality, etc give an idea about the ways
in which Hindus tend to orient themselves inwards, towards both the nation and an imagined
‘Indian culture’, and towards the emotionally resonant ‘Nadu’ (homeland) of Kerala through
rice—while Muslim food cultures clearly and explicitly evoke South Indian Muslims’ links
across the ocean to Arab culture through the use of silver serving platters and the drinking of
the ‘Cava’ (a Yemeni drink) (Osella and Osella, 2008).

Standardization and Globalization:

Convention theory can be utilized to identify how localized social and relational norms and
values respond to changes in social context. For supermarkets this is reflected in the adoption
and adaption of features of local market culture such as the observance of religious festivals
and rewards for customer loyalty, while for local markets it results in greater standardization
and improved hygiene strategies (Isaacs et al., 2010).

One of the visible impacts of globalization in Kerala is the transformation of the food habits
of urban population, particularly the youth. Some of the traditional items which were culinary
delights of the Keralites of yesteryear, have, disappeared from the day-to-day menu of city
dwellers (Ramesh Chandran, 2016). But though globalization has altered the food habits in
Kerala to an extent, some of the traditional food practices are also promoted and marketed
(Balachandran, 2018).

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

With food being the core sub-system of the social system as a whole and a powerful site for
transformative participation, it is expected that attempts to describe and understand the
complex interrelations between food and society as well as the importance of food to social,
political and economic aspects of the society should deserve a special attention. Yet, an
examination of mainstream sociological outlets which reasonably would have food and health
content shows the opposite: in the discipline’s core journals there is almost no inclusion of
research regarding food (Ratcliff and Tiamzon, 2013). In the case of Malabar Food Culture,
even though the Malabar Cuisines have a great role in the constitution of society mainly in
Northern Kerala, there is very less study on this topic and a proper sociological study is
negligible.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

To understand how food as a part of cultural complex is influenced by a variety of

sociological factors like historical context, contemporary migration pattern and globalization.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How has Trade and Colonization influenced the Malabar Cuisines?

2. What are the effects of Globalization on Malabar Food Culture?

3. What is the role of migrant Non-Malayalee workers in the food sector in Kozhikode?

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The proposed study will be based on qualitative data analysis through an ethnographic
approach. The study will be conducted in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. The data will
be collected through primary as well as secondary sources.

Considering the Covid-19 pandemic, the data collection methods are framed by ensuring that
every safety precautions will be strictly followed. Different research methods like in-depth
interviews, non-participant observation, unobtrusive measures and analysis of data from
different articles, journals and websites will be adopted for the collection of data.

Primary data will be collected through Semi-Structured In-Depth Interview and Non-
Participant Observation. In order to understand the subject matter clearly without any bias,
in-depth interviews are necessary. So about 10-15 participants with representation from Non-
Malayalee Migrant Chefs, Malayalee Chefs, Restaurant owners and localites will be
interviewed by ensuring minimal risk to the participants. Non-Participant observation of
different cooking styles, advertisement billboards, menu cards, etc in different food clusters
of Kozhikode will be conducted which will help to provide a more objective view of the
subject matter.

Secondary data will be collected through unobtrusive approach by analysing different

YouTube videos on cooking, food vlogs, etc. This will help to compare and validate the data
which was gathered through non-participant observation. Historical data will be collected by
analysing different websites, books, articles and journals available online.

The data will be analysed through triangulation using data triangulation method.

REFERENCES

 Abraham, A. M. Where The Flavours of The World Meet: Malabar As A Culinary

Hotspot.
 Balachandran, A. Acculturation and Changing Food Culture in Kerala.
 Beardsworth, A., & Keil, T. (2002). Sociology on the menu: An invitation to the study
of food and society. Routledge.
 Bocock, R. (1993) Consumption, London: Routledge.
 Caroline Osella & Filippo Osella (2008) Food, Memory, Community: Kerala as both
‘Indian Ocean’ Zone and as Agricultural Homeland, South Asia: Journal of South
Asian Studies, 31:1, 170-198, DOI: 10.1080/00856400701877232
 Isaacs, B., Dixon, J., Banwell, C., Seubsman, S., Kelly, M., & Pangsap, S. (2010).
Competition, adaptation and mutation: Fresh market and supermarket conventions in
Thailand. Journal of Sociology, 46(4), 413–436.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783310384454
 K.K, K. (2016). Acculturation Through Colonialism: Exchange Of Food Habits In
Malabar. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 77, 727-734. doi:10.2307/26552702
 NS, R. C. (2016). Food Habits and the Changing Social Scenario in the Urban
Kerala. Rajagiri Journal of Social Development, 8(1), 58-66.
 Ratcliff, K. S., & Tiamzon, T. (2013). Food: A human rights issue ignored in
sociology. Societies Without Borders, 8(1), 122-136.
 Ridenour, L. M. (2014). Sociology of local food and transformational engagement: a
case study of the rise of the local food movement, The. 2000-2019-CSU Theses and
Dissertations.
 Srinivas, T. (2011). Exploring Indian culture through food. Education about
Asia, 16(3), 38-41.