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Dine in Eden


If you want to have a typical nonvegetarian Malayali lunch or dinner in a serene village in Kerala, here is the Garden of Eden all set for you at Ramapuram [literally ‘Abode of Rama’] in central Kerala. The place has a temple each for Rama and his three brothers: Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. It is believed that Rama meditated in this place during his exile and also that his brothers joined him for a while.

Right in the heart of the small town is a Catholic church which is an imposing structure that makes an eloquent assertion of religious identity.

Quite close to all these religious places is the Garden of Eden, Eden Thoppu in Malayalam, a toddy shop with a difference.

Toddy is palm wine, a mild alcoholic drink collected from palm trees. In my childhood, toddy was really natural; i.e., collected from palm trees including coconut trees which are ubiquitous in Kerala. My next-door neighbours, two brothers who lived in the same house, were toddy-tappers. Toddy was a healthy drink in those days provided one didn’t overdo it. Now it is prepared chemically in shoddy labs and is not advisable.  

People go to toddy shops now for the delicious food they serve. Toddy shops in Kerala are famous for their spicy foods. I visited Eden Thoppu on behalf of an alumni group that was on the lookout for a convenient place for a ‘batch reunion’. This place is a new venture, a modernised toddy shop with many small cabins called huts meant for friends to sit and chat, and, of course, have delicious, spicy Malayali food.

I was directed to meet Mr Biju, the man who runs the enterprise, when I wanted to know certain details related to our alumni meet. Give us the order one day ahead and we’ll prepare… He went on to mention all possible nonveg dishes that are commonly available in Kerala’s good toddy shops.

One of the huts is airconditioned and another has an artificial drizzle system which will keep it naturally cool. The place is quite an Eden, an idyllic place, though a bit constricted spatially. The huts are all too close to each other. The parking space is limited too though a few cars can be accommodated.

What about the food? There is a wide variety of all Malayali nonveg dishes. But I didn’t wait to taste any because Maggie had kept my lunch ready at home and I had to do justice to her. Moreover, I had gone to make an enquiry. When I asked Biju for a menu card, he answered that it was being printed. “This is a new venture,” he added with a charming smile. The earlier run-of-the-mill toddy shop was upgraded as a “family restaurant” since toddy-drinkers are becoming an extinct species in Kerala.

Location: Ramapuram is 37 km from Kottayam and 58 km from Kochi.

Biju outside one of the cabins

Inside the cabin

Ramapuram-Uzhavoor Road and a distant view of Eden

PS. This post is part of #BlogchatterFoodFest

This is the second of a 5-part series. Post 1: Sethi da Dhaba

 

 

Comments

  1. Jose D. MaliekalJune 10, 2025 at 11:07 AM

    I appreciate the humility and the candour of Biju, the 'start up' toddy entrepreneur. And your sensitivity to Maggie, who would be waiting for you. And I remember relishing fresh toddy, straight from the palm tree, not from the coconut palm, but palmyra tree, at my mother's place, as part of the holiday package. At home, along the coastal Thrissur, toddy was taboo, except when it was brought for the preparation of Vattayappam, in the preparation of which my mother was an expert, nay, an artist. I remember being scolded for, more than that shamed for having drunk toddy, upon invitation by the husband of the household servant, when I had gone at night to invite them for my younger brother's wedding, as an elder in tNavorhaanakeralam.he family. The Dalit's offer of toddy and my acceptance of it, was a breach of all taboos... And this was in1980s, in the Navothaanakeralam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 10, 2025 at 11:19 AM

      Taking any food from a Dalit household was taboo for us too, let alone toddy. But once in a while we got a glass of it when there was a lot of work going on like ginger planting in which children were amply involved.

      This place does deserve good clients.

      Delete
    2. Jose D. MaliekalJune 10, 2025 at 11:48 AM

      The times have changed. Now I see my nephews bringing their clasmates, on the eve of the Palliperunnal, for Uunu, to the family and all of them Dalits. And very close friends. My younger sister--in-law, a Maths teacher is very sharp. One she caught my Freudean slip and asked me"You write about the Dalits. But in real life, you act different."

      Delete
    3. Tomichan MatheikalJune 10, 2025 at 12:22 PM

      Of course, now there's no such distinction. Gen Z is very broadminded in that regard.

      Delete
  2. magiceyeJune 10, 2025 at 11:36 AM

    This is one restaurant (a toddy shop) I have yet to visit and is on my must visit list. Do review their food too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 10, 2025 at 12:24 PM

      I've taken much food from various toddy shops. They're all savoury but copiously spicy. Spices and condiments actually make nonveg foods delicious. This shop won't be much different.

      Delete
  3. Yamini MacLeanJune 10, 2025 at 1:24 PM

    Hari OM
    No one I would visit - although I apprecite the ambience suggested by the separate huts... it caused me to think of that popular British pastime... the Pub Lunch (eating a meal in a drinking house). YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM

      Ivl know you won't like the place. They don't serve vegetarian dishes.

      Delete
  4. Liz A.June 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM

    Today I learned about toddy shops. I hope your reunion went well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJune 11, 2025 at 7:49 AM

      The reunion is postponed to 22nd. Another place, more lavish.

      Delete

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