Tales From The Table: Peruvian & Mattancherry Food Traditions Meet in Fort Kochi [Feb 4]

Dearest Gentle Reader,

I am comfortably perched on one of the shelves at Forplay (I know what you are thinking hooman, but its not that) Society in the busy Bazaar Road of Mattancherry, Fort Kochi. Its another humid afternoon for the friendliest cat of Fort Kochi - yours truly.

And here is what I see!

At one end of a table below me is Daniela Zambrano Almidón, a Quechua researcher and artist from Lima whose work focuses on decolonization through the stomach. At the other are the women of the local Mattancherry community—guardians of a culinary history that has already absorbed centuries of global influence, from Jewish traders to Portuguese explorers.

What may look like a Culinary war is actually a laboratory of culinary friendship!

The Alchemy of the Kitchen

This isn't just about fusion food; it's about "Kitchen Alchemy." The initiative seeks to find the common threads between two cultures separated by 10,000 miles of ocean but united by a history of colonial resilience.

The event, hosted at the Forplay Society, isn't a lecture. It’s a conversation held over simmering pots.

Participants will explore:

• Memory in a Jar: How pickling and preserving act as a form of cultural data storage.
• Andean Technology: Understanding how ancient Quechua practices relate to modern food security.
• The Shared Plate: How the simple act of "cooking together" dismantles the barriers between "researcher" and "subject."

Why You Should Care

In an age of hyper-digital connection, we have forgotten how to talk across a table. Daniela’s work suggests that food is the ultimate "relational process." When a Peruvian artist and a Kochi grandmother share a knife to peel a ginger root, they aren't just making lunch—they are performing a quiet act of food, err good diplomacy.

For those in Kochi, it’s a rare chance to see the world reflected in a local bowl. For the rest who can't make it, it’s a reminder that the most profound stories aren't found in bookstores and on Netflix, but in the steam rising from a shared pot.

Join the Table

• Date: Wednesday, February 4th, 2026
• Time: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• Venue: Forplay Society, Mattancherry, Kochi
• Entry: Open to the public. Arriving early is recommended as this is a community-focused initiative with limited seating.
• Collaboration: Hosted by Articultural Society & TALES Kollektiv in partnership with Kitchen Alchemy and SAVVY Contemporary.