Mangalore is a pleasant off-the-beaten-path coastal town, ideal for a stopover between Goa and Kerala, or to access the Coorg Valley.
For centuries, it has been a famous port, frequented by traders from as far as the Middle East and Africa for its pepper and ginger. Its riches made it a lucrative target for the Portuguese in 1529, and the British. Even today, Mangalore is the export hub coffee and cocoa from the Coorg Valley, and Keralan cashew nuts.
Mangalore’s fiery cuisine, especially its flavoursome seafood, has attracted visitors through the ages. Mangalorean cuisine derives its distinctive flavours through the liberal use of chilli and fresh coconut.
Mangalore is a muti-cultural city, with Hindu temples and some fine churches which highlight the Christian influences on India’s western coast.
