“What she found tasty and interesting was the drumstick thoran. A stir fry made with drumstick flesh and flowers; it was one of the Kerala dishes we had chosen for the menu. She also enjoyed the fish moily,” recalls retired chef K.K. Nair who oversaw the menu and its preparation for the high-profile visit of Queen Elizabeth 11 when she visited Kochi in 1997.
The longest-serving monarch of the United Kingdom, the Queen of England passed away on Thursday at the age of 96. She visited India thrice, and in 1997, made a brief visit to Kochi along with her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Former Mayor of Kochi K.J. Sohan who was with her during the visit to Fort Kochi says that among the historic places like the St. Francis Church and the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town, she visited the Mini Colony in Fort Kochi, a project funded by the British DFID (Department for International Development) in collaboration with Cochin Corporation’s Urban Poverty Alleviation Scheme to build houses for the fishermen who lived along the coast. A plaque mentioning the visit exists.
