Kerala Fish Market and Fisherfolk Culture

“I want to go to the Kerala fish market“, I told Fafa. That, of course, didn’t come as a surprise to him. We have been together for nearly a decade now. It was enough time to educate him about my obsession with fish markets.

“You have to ask my dad, then“, he replied. “Maybe he will allow you to follow him to the market in his scooter“, he added. “It’s fine. I will ask him“, I replied.

On my second day in Kerala, I broke the news to my Indian family. “I love going to markets, especially fish markets,” I told my father-in-law. He just smiled. He wasn’t sure how to reply to yet another shenanigans of his Indonesian, bright-dress-wearing, diary-writing, constantly-reading, random-people-picture-taking, hot-water-shower-demanding daughter-in-law.

Never mind, I decided, I’d just follow him the next time he went to the market. Unfortunately, it was monsoon season in Kerala, hence the actual visit to the Kerala fish market (Meen Chantha in the Malayalam language) didn’t happen, but I did witness mini scales of fish trading business.

Alleppey Backwater Fish Market

During our Alleppey backwater houseboat stay, we stopped by the canal sides to buy freshly caught seafood from the backwater fish stalls. We were set to eat Karimeen (Pearl Spot fish) for our dinner on the boat. The men got down and negotiated the price. Soon after the fish was brought on board and cooked in Kerala style called Karimeen Pollichathu. This local delicacy was by far the best fish I have eaten in India.

Kerala Fish Market Lady

On my last morning in Alleppey, we stopped at the local market to get meat from the butcher. There, I saw a lady sitting on the floor selling a bucket of fresh fish. I learned how important are female roles in fisherfolk culture from the 90s Indian movies I watched at home. They are the ones who make the fishing nets, sell the freshly caught produce to the market, and process some before selling it, including cooking them for household consumption. It reminded me of the Haenyeo, the female divers in Jeju Island, which has become an intangible heritage of Korean culture.

Looking back, I wish I had stopped and talked to the fishwife, maybe buy a fish or two from her.

Fish Market By Fort Kochi Beach

My last attempt to visit the Kerala fish market was when we were in Fort Kochi. Unenthusiastic fish sellers with limited choices were caught by the iconic Chinese fishing nets. Nothing much caught on that day because of the cyclonic storm which made the sea go crazy.

“There, your favourite,” father-in-law pointed at the crabs and referred to the day before when  I demolished crabs, which I am sure gained his respect.

There were a few food stalls near the beaches, enticing us with their deep-fried fish smell. I was so tempted, but with a few more days left in India, I thought better not invite the case of Delhi Belly. I also heard that they held the seafood auction early morning at the Fort Kochi beach, kinda like the Tsukiji Market tuna auction. Boy, I would love to witness that!

I also saw butcher shops in the town centre. Some with smiling farm animals pictures on the signboard and skinned dead animals on the display.

I still want to visit other fish markets in Kerala, such as Chambakkara and Thalassery. From what little things I could gather from the internet (why don’t people write about the fish market more?), it looked so interesting.  Not only that, I want to go fishing and learn how to cook the local delicacies as well. Thankfully, my in-laws live in Kerala. And with a wedding coming, I am due for another Kerala trip. This means soon, I will get to tick off my cultural goal of visiting the Kerala fish market in India.

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