5 Kerala Gifts Worth Bringing Home, and Where to Look for Them in Kochi
Skip the airport stalls. Spices, handloom, brass, coir and art, with the Kochi neighbourhoods and market lanes where each is worth buying, and how not to overpay.
It is easy to leave Kochi with a suitcase of airport-stall trinkets and nothing that actually feels like Kerala. It is just as easy, and far more rewarding, to bring home the real thing: spices bought where they are traded, a length of handloom, a piece of brass or coir, something with a story. Here are five gifts worth carrying back, and the parts of the city to look for each of them.
| Gift | Where to buy it | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Spices: cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, dried ginger | Jew Town and the surrounding Mattancherry lanes | Sold loose by weight, fresher and cheaper than the airport |
| Handloom: Kasavu sarees, mundus, stoles, shirts | State handloom outlets, boutiques in Fort Kochi and Ernakulam | A hand-woven stole folds into nothing in a suitcase |
| Brass: nilavilakku lamps, small urulis, bells | Mattancherry's antique and craft shops | Heavy, so check what you can carry and the export rules |
| Coir: mats, rugs, bags | The Kairali and state-run handicraft emporiums | Fixed prices, if haggling is not your thing |
| Art: prints, postcards, ceramics, small original works | Fort Kochi galleries and design stores | Thoughtful, flat and easy to pack |
Where should you buy spices in Kochi?
The obvious and best Kochi gift is spice, and the place to buy it is Jew Town and the surrounding Mattancherry lanes, where the spice trade has run for centuries. Cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and dried ginger are sold loose and by weight, fresher and cheaper than anything vacuum-packed at the airport. Buy from the established shops, smell before you buy, and ask them to pack for travel.
Handloom and textiles
Kerala's handloom tradition, above all the cream-and-gold Kasavu, makes a beautiful and lightweight gift. Look for the state handloom outlets and the boutiques in Fort Kochi and Ernakulam that stock genuine Kasavu sarees, mundus, stoles and shirts. A hand-woven stole folds into nothing in a suitcase and carries real regional identity. If you want something more contemporary, several Kochi designers now rework handloom into modern cuts.
Brass, coir and craft
For something with heft and history, Kerala brass, lamps, the traditional nilavilakku, small urulis and bells, is sold in Mattancherry's antique and craft shops, though check what you can realistically carry. Coir products, made from the coconut fibre this coast is built on, range from mats and rugs to bags, and are both practical and distinctly Kerala. The Kairali and state-run handicraft emporiums are reliable, fixed-price options if haggling is not your thing.
Art and the Biennale effect
Fort Kochi's art scene has left its mark on its shops. Galleries and design stores stock prints, postcards, ceramics and small original works by local artists, which make thoughtful, flat, easy-to-pack gifts. In Biennale years especially, the neighbourhood fills with affordable art and design objects.
How do you avoid tourist-trap souvenirs in Kochi?
Skip the airport and the most tourist-heavy stalls, where prices are highest and authenticity lowest. In the markets, a little polite bargaining is expected; in the government emporiums, prices are fixed and fair. Buy spices and textiles you will actually use, check brass and antiques for weight and export rules, and favour the shop that can tell you where a thing was made. Do that, and you will come home with pieces of Kochi worth keeping, not clutter.
Written By
Haila Kochi Editorial Team
Part of the Haila Kochi editorial team, covering the food, business, lifestyle, and people that make Kochi what it is.
