The Arakkal dynasty is a Muslim dynasty of Kerala which was based in Kannur. For a long time the Arakkal family dominated the city of Kannur and the commercial monopoly of pepper and cardamom in North Malabar. The Arakkal family followed a matriarchal system of descent. The eldest member of the family, whether male or female becomes its head and ruler. While male rulers were called Ali Rajah, female rulers were known as Arakkal Beevis. Arakkal is the one and only Muslim dynasty that has their own flag and coat of arms and motto. The building where the Arakkal museum stands used as the durbar hall and office of the Arakkal dynasty until fifty years ago.

Therukooth is a folk art form inspired by the Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Traditionally there are no conversations on therukooth. Songs are the only way to communicate with the audience. Since amplification technology is not used, the artists reach out to the whole crowd by training to sing on their own voice and at a high pitch. Exquisite heavy clothing and elaborate makeup are used by artists. They wear shiny shoulder plates and wide colorful skirts. Traditionally, this form of drama has been performed mainly by men, but in modern times more women have been included.

Duffmuttu is a ritual art form among Muslims in Malabar. Duff is an instrument made of wood and ox skin. It performed as social entertainment at festivals. The singers sway their bodies to the tempo of the song, which is set by the rhythmic beats of the Duff. The songs used to be in Arabic and now they are in Malayalam.

Tholpavakuthu is a temple art form which is performed in Bhagavathi temple in Palakkad. The story of Tholpavakuthu’s performance is from Ramayana. In the past it was performed elaborately over a period of 41 days with the help of oil lamps in the background.

Tapioca is the fourth most consumed staple in the world, after rice, wheat and corn. It is native to Brazil but spread throughout South America and was taken around the world by consecutive waves of Europeans. Tapioca (Kappa) came to Kerala 140 years ago. During the 1880’s, during the reign of Visakham Thirunal, Travancore faced a huge famine. Visakham Thirunal brought some stalks of tapioca from South East Asia and started its cultivation. Tapioca was once the food of peasants in Kerala.

Vallam Kali is a traditional boat race in Kerala, India. It is a form of canoe racing, and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted during the season of the harvest festival Onam in spring. Vallam Kali includes races of many kinds of paddled longboats and ‘snake boats’. Each team spends about 6 lakh rupees on the Nehru Trophy.

Arabanamuttu is an art form that is very popular among the Muslim community. It derives its name from Arabana, a hand held, one side flat drum like musical instrument of Arabia. It is performed by striking the Arabana with the hand. The instrument is made of wood and animal skin.

The muthuvans are an adivasi tribe in Kerala, who have traditional customs and rituals. Legend has it that they were the servants of Lord Rama and Sita, and they are believed to be the descendants of the King of Madhura. Muthuvans are like Stone Age ancestors, they believed in the after life. Along with the dead bodies, they bury food and other necessities.

The Arabs may have brought the Biriyani recipe when they visited the port during the time of spice trade. Thalassery biriyani is widely popular all over the world. Thalassery biriyani is a cultural embodiment and is reminiscent of foreign influences in Malabar. This reminds the Mugal-Arab cultural influence in north Kerala. It indicates the strong islamic culture of the Malabar region.