The Calicut biryani provides a much-needed break from the heavy, rich biryanis of Hyderabad, Kolkata and Kashmir.

It's served with tangy vinegar pickles and 'poppadams' fried in coconut oil. A "softer" biryani, it's quite light on the stomach and in terms of taste, bears no resemblance to any of the heady delicacies we might have mentioned in the course of this article.

Image for representational purposes only.

Photograph: stock.xchang