Known as the Puyyappla Perukkal (“nurturing the son‑in‑law”), this centuries-old custom sees the groom live in the bride’s house alongside his new mother-in-law as a guest of honour as she and other relatives prepare as many as 100 different dishes for him that rarely repeat during a 40-day period. Each day, the bride’s mother and other elders serve him an array of elaborate foods prepared under the guidance of matriarchal home cooks.
The rite is believed to be rooted in Kerala’s ancient matrilineal Marumakkathayam system, in which property and inheritance was passed down through women in some Hindu communities. Over time, this system is thought to have inspired Muslims in Thalassery to create Puyyappla Perukkalto honour their new sons-in-law and strengthen family ties. And while several other Mappila communities in nearby towns have started adopting this epic 40-day feast in recent decades, according to PM Jabir of the area’s well-known Maliyakkal family, “this tradition is borrowed from what we follow here in Thalassery”.
Historically, every Mappila family in Thalassery practised Puyyappla Perukkal. In Mappila culture, welcoming a son-in-law into the family is a sign of great respect, and across India, the number 40 is considered significant in life events and symbolises blessing and reflection in local Islamic culture. In the event that the bride’s mother is deceased, ill or unable to perform the duty, the role is taken up by another of her female elders.
“The day after the wedding, at dawn, the groom is served bread sizzling in ghee (clarified butter), pazham vatti (banana fritter) and boiled eggs, followed by breakfast of different kinds of pathiri (rice flour flatbread), ari rotti (rice flatbread) or golden ney pathiri (rice bread fried in ghee) paired with lamb curry,” said Rubeena Kalathiyath, a cook at The Heritage 1866, a restaurant and 159-year-old heritage home located in Thalassery.
