Where Kerala's Spices Grow: A District-by-District Guide

Most spices in Kerala are grown in the hill districts along the Western Ghats. Idukki is the heart of cardamom and a big pepper area, Wayanad grows pepper, ginger and coffee, Kannur and Kasaragod are old pepper country, and the midland districts of Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur grow nutmeg and cloves. If you're asking where spices are grown in Kerala, the short answer is: the higher and wetter the land, the more spice it grows.

This guide goes district by district, so the next time a pack says "Kerala", you'll have a better idea of what that should actually mean.

Why do spices grow mainly in Kerala's hills?

Cardamom and pepper are forest plants at heart. They like shade, rain, good drainage and cool nights. The Western Ghats give them all of that, especially between the monsoon months and the misty winter that follows.

The coast and the backwaters are a different story. Alappuzha, for example, gave its name to Alleppey cardamom, but only because the cardamom was traded through its port. Nothing much in the way of cardamom grows near the sea.

The quick district table

The high ranges: Idukki

We're in Rajakumari, so we'll start at home. Idukki is almost all hills, and a lot of the spice land sits high up, with the kind of cool, wet weather cardamom needs.

Cardamom (elakka)

Idukki grows most of Kerala's small cardamom. It's planted under shade trees and picked by hand in rounds, roughly every few weeks through the season. After picking, the pods are dried. On our farms that happens in a cardamom dryer, a heated chamber that keeps the pods green.

Pepper (kurumulak)

On Idukki farms, pepper vines climb the same shade trees that shelter the cardamom. So a single plot often gives two crops. It's one of the reasons the high ranges have been spice country for so long.

Cloves (grampoo)

Cloves like cooler hill air. Around Adimali, in the middle of Idukki, clove trees are a common sight on farms.

There's more on this in our piece on Idukki spices from the cardamom hills.

North Kerala: Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod and Kozhikode

Wayanad

Wayanad is a high plateau, and its farms mix coffee, pepper, ginger and some cardamom. Kerala Tourism also notes small-scale vanilla here. Pepper vines on shade trees above coffee bushes is the classic Wayanad view. Our naadan filter coffee is Robusta from Wayanad. Read more in the Wayanad spices guide.

Kannur and Kasaragod

This is Malabar pepper country. Thalassery, the old Tellicherry, was a major pepper trading town, and its name lives on in the "Tellicherry" grade for bold pepper. Kannur also has the Anjarakandy cinnamon estate, started by the East India Company in 1767.

Kozhikode

Kozhikode (Calicut) was one of the most famous spice ports in history. Today it's also home to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, which works on pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and more.

Central Kerala: Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad

Kottayam

The eastern hills of Kottayam grow cloves, nutmeg and pepper. Thalanad, at about 3,000 feet in Meenachil taluk, is now known for its GI-tagged cloves.

Ernakulam and Thrissur

These midland districts are nutmeg country. You'll see nutmeg trees in home gardens and small plantations, with mace drying on mats after harvest. Kochi, in Ernakulam, is also the old commercial centre of the spice trade and home to the Spices Board.

Palakkad

Most of Palakkad is plains, famous for paddy. Up on the Nelliyampathy hills, though, you'll find cardamom, pepper, coffee and tea estates.

What does this mean when you buy?

1. Match the spice to the district. Cardamom "from Kochi" usually means traded through Kochi, not grown there.
2. Ask for a district, and don't settle for "Kerala". A seller close to the farm will name it without thinking.
3. Be wary of star anise "from Kerala". It isn't grown here. Kerala sellers buy it in, and that's fine if they say so.

For a plain list of which spice does what in the kitchen, see our Kerala spices list. For the checks to run on any online seller, go to the Kerala spices online buying guide.

Where our spices come from

We're a small family business in Rajakumari and have been farming for about 30 years. Our cardamom, black pepper, white pepper and cloves come from Idukki, the cloves from around Adimali. Our coffee is Wayanad Robusta, and star anise is bought in. If you want to try the Idukki three together, the Kerala spice combo pack has cloves, pepper and cardamom.

Planning a trip up to the high ranges, or just curious about one district? Message us on WhatsApp at +91 88482 65849. We're always happy to talk about home.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Anjarakandy cinnamon estate
• Spices Board India