EPISODE I MAY ‘24

Gathering &
Growing in Goa
Khad Zine Episode I Yorke
Local Expert & Contributor Viplav Srikant
Prabhugaonkar
Soul Traveling for the heritage trails they offer in
Canacona.
Copyright @ 2024 Unbox Cultural Futures

All rights reserved.

Printed in Goa, India

Copywriting & Editing by Meredith Stinger This research work on circular food practices in
Book Design by Shifa Farooqi Goa was made possible with the Circular Design
Design Consultant Yuvraj Jha Assembly Grant (2021-22) from the Ellen
Macarthur Foundation.
Research Team
Rohan Patankar Land Recognition Statement
Amala Mhaiskar Our deepest thanks to the knowledge shared with
Anwaar Alam us from the indigenous communities of Goa. This
Dhyani Parekh project would not have been possible without
Ekta Bharti your help. We acknowledge that the land on
Jigeesha Nayyar which Goa is located is the traditional and
ancestral territory of the Gowda, Kunbi, and
Special Thanks Velip communities. We recognize and honor their
Expert Contributors Dr. Maryanne Lobo, Vyoma enduring relationship to these lands and waters,
Haldipur, Shruti Tharayil, Dr. Kurush Dalal, and pay respects to their elders past, present and
Chef Gresham Fernandes, Chef Anumitra Ghosh emerging.
Dastidar, Dr, Vikram, Vasudha Naik, Leena
Aunty, Jonah Fernandes, Isha Manchanda, First printing edition May 2024
Hanna Sarangan, Gabriella D'Cruz, Elizabeth
EIPSODE I MAY ‘24

Khād Gathering &

Growing in Goa
 GOBAR, or dried cow dung
patties, provide a readily
available, sustainable fuel for

KHĀD
cooking and heating, as well
as a nutrient-rich organic
material for soil enrichment
in rural Indian communities.
खाद manure (dung used for
fertilizing land)
Inherited from Ashokan Prakrit
𑀔𑀤𑁆𑀥 (khaddha)‎, an alternate form
of Sanskrit खात (“dug up”).

खाद् to eat, chew, devour.

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *khād-, from Proto-

Indo-European *kwh₂ed-.[1] Cognate with
Avestan -‎‎ (vī-xada-‎, “to squeeze
apart”), Parthian (x’zynd, “to
devour”), modern Persian (xâyidan),
and Old Armenian (xacanem).[2].

1
 Khād is a research project
and publication looking
towards the future of food
through traditional and
indigenous practices. We
examine the produce, the
farming processes, the
kitchens, the utensils, the
recipes and their ingredients
as sites to study and learn
from. Khād aims to celebrate
and bring to the fore stories
of people and food in the
Indian garden, kitchen and
backyard.

2
 WHAT IS
CIRCULARITY?

“
As our demand for food increases with our growing
population, climate change and the depletion of natural It’s the famous
resources make our collective futures with food uncertain. story of “itne paise
The term “Circular Economy,” coined in 1966, has recently mein itna hi milega”.
become part of everyday conversations about sustainability You only have a certain
in the Western world across different sectors. amount of land, which
has a certain capacity,
Circularity in food systems refers to practices which reduce in which there are only
the generation of waste, reuse food, repurpose byproducts a certain number of
and food waste, and recycle nutrients in food production, nutrients and you can
consumption and waste management. The concept of only get that much out
circularity is not new, and is an essential part of indigenous of it. And the sum total
food systems found in rural and indigenous communities of the product that
across India. you get out of the land
should be consumed or

“
returned to the land in
some form.

Kurush Dalal -
Archaeologist,
Historian, Culinary
Anthropologist

3
 ITNE PAISE MEIN
GAAYRO ITNA HI MILEGA
A tribal
composting system

Production

Preperation

Itne paise mai itna

Consumption
he milega
In Baddem, a tribal village in Canacona, Goa, one such
example of a circular practice is the gaayro. The gaayro
is a small composting pit, typically found near the family
cowshed. The family layers cow dung and food waste in
the gaayro over a 2-month decomposition period. This
enriches the manure with nutrients, which is then used to
Waste fertilize the fields where food is primarily grown for personal
consumption. By recycling the organic waste back into the
production of their food, the community is creating a closed-
loop system where nutrients are reintegrated to support the
next cycle of food growing.

Nutrient Recycling

4
GOAN
CUISINE

GOA FOOD
MAP
5
 Popularly known as a coastal
tourist destination in India,
Goa is a melange of cultures
and histories, melding
colonial, modern, religious
and tribal influences. This
diversity reflects in Goan
cuisine (namely Konkani,
British, Saraswat, and
South Indian cuisines and
Portuguese) - arguably the
most diverse cuisine in the
country. In Goa, the most
significant overseas culinary
influence came from the
Portuguese in the 16th
century CE, introducing
ingredients like potatoes,
chilies, tomatoes, pineapple,
bread, vinegar, and different
kinds of meats as well as
their cooking style.

A classic example of Portuguese influence on the food of Goa is that the cuisine includes
vinegar, an otherwise uncommon ingredient in traditional Indian cooking, and Pao, a type of
bread that replaced the usual chapatis or rotis. You can also see variations in the preparations
of the Goan Hindu and Goan Christian communities. For example, the dishes popular among
the Hindu community make wide use of tamarind and kokum as a souring agent, in contrast
with the Christians, who use vinegar for the same.

In terms of ingredients, Goan cuisine makes liberal use of

rice, coconuts, fish, kokum, cashews, spices, and vinegar
and some of their chief curry masalas are Vindaloo, Cafreal,
Sorpotel, Caldin, Xacuti, and Balchao. Fish and rice are
staples, supplemented by meat, beans, and vegetables.
Utensils and tools are also a significant part of Goan cuisine,
such as doules (ladles made of coconut shells), earthen pots
for cooking curries, varn or ghaatna, a grinding stone.

“ very long time within itself.

- Kurush Dalal
“
Goa has been very well connected for a

6
 TRIBAL FOOD
SYSTEMS
Modern food systems have disconnected us from local, seasonal foods. Staple Indian
ingredients like potatoes and tomatoes, though now ubiquitous in Indian dishes, are not
native to the region. Meanwhile, local, indigenous foods are often seen as inferior to the
modern middle-class palate. Factors like agricultural changes, development projects, and
conservation rules have reduced access to these traditional food sources, leading to a decline
in local food knowledge and sustainable practices. Shruti Tharayil says, “There is so much
food around us, it’s just not recognized as food.” Factors such as class, caste, and access to
information and available foods impact how we define food, and how we percieve it’s scarity.

Goan tribal groups like the Gowdas, Kunbis, Velips, and Dhangars have long integrated
regenerative food systems tailored to their local coastal and forest environments. Their
cultivation, ingredients, recipes, and reuse practices reflect this deep connection to place
- including the seasonal foraging of foods like cassia tora, tubers, and wild mushrooms.
Recognizing the value of these indigenous food systems is key to rebuilding more circular,
sustainable models that reconnect us to local, seasonal abundance.

“ Tribal food isn’t mainstream because it’s poor

“
man’s food– for example, using ants as souring
agents, eating moth larvae.
- Gresham Fernandes, Chef &
Culinary Director

7
“ What is usually considered circularity in food is to a huge

“
extent part and parcel of the traditional Indian lifestyle, non-
urban, semi-urban, rural, definitely tribal.

- Kurush Dalal

Celebrating and preserving

this traditional knowledge
is essential, as modern food
systems continue to move
further away from ecological
realities, such as in cultural
festivals like the annual
Lokotsav in Poinguinim.
This event showcases tribal
arts, performances, sports,
and cuisines. Traditional
kitchen tools, medicines, and
signature dishes like suva
bhakri, kismur, and patoleo
are featured, maintaining the
vitality of Goa’s culinary
heritage.

Tribal groups in Goa have been able to make use of what

the land has to offer, and are still able to source their foods
from the land around them. However, as climate change and
environmental degradation change the seasons as we know
them, the future is uncertain.

In the age of obesity, wheat and scarcity, there is a

need to redefine what we consider to be “good food” to
include tubers, treesaps, fish, shellfish, oilseeds, mollusks,
mushrooms, insects, small non-endangered animal meats.
This is not just to reverse the effects of climate change,
emerging health crises, collapsing agricultural systems and
biodiversity loss, and water shortages, but also to preserve
communal and cultural identity, sovereignty, health and
wellbeing.
8
 Field
CANACONA Journal
Devidas
Devidas Gaonkar
&and
his family

Nephew
and
niece

In 2021, the UnBox team

went on field visits in
Canacona to tribal family
homes. On this visit, they
visited the Gaonkars in the
village of Baddem, who
prepared a meal for them.
The Gaonkars don’t go to
the market for produce, and
source their foods from the
nearby river, jungle and
fields.
Hyperlocal food systems,
where food is consumed
close to where it is produced,
are common across rural
India.

9
 The village of Baddem is
Our breakfast at home to two Goan tribal
Devidas place groups, the Velipis and the
Kundis, who left their hilltop
Koronde home to settle on the plateau
and below three generations ago.
Lemongrass Before the panchayat
Tea system in Goa, family
representatives gathered
at the ‘baska’ - or ‘place
to sit’ in Konkani. This
central meeting spot, also
called ‘cosme kadem’ after
Koronde is, stuffted the significant local trees,
with remains an integral part of
-•Boiled and village life.
mashed Chana
daal
-Jaggery
-White sesame.
Black Tea for
Viplav

The villagers are very close their roots, and during the
Shigmo festival each April, which celebrates the return of
victorious warriors from battle, the entire village goes up to
a temple at their ancestral hilltop to spend the month.

10
 Wife

(Ramita Goankar
cleaning fihs for
us.

Water Storage
timely supplied by PWD
There is a waterfall nearby
from where the water is
sourced

Many tribal villages in

Canacona are inland from
the sea, but make use of
nearby rivers for fish and
crustaceans. Mackerel and
pedi are the most commonly
eaten fish in the village.
Traditional fishing methods
used a kerosene lamp at night
to blind the fish, so they were
easier to spear. In the river,
stone crabs are a reliable and
popular source of meat that
is available all year round.
Around the New Moon is
known as the best time for
crabbing, as it is during this
time that crabs tend to offer
more meat.

COBLE- a basket used

to catch crabs.

11
 Traditionally, Goan fish is
prepared by marinating it
in a masala and dipping it
in rava before frying it. The
Gaonkars prepared fish two
different ways, one using
a simple masala of tumeric
and red chilis, and the
other, by frying it directly
on the tawa with oil and
salt. All food waste is
mixed into the cowdung
Ramit is
pit or gaayro as compost.
cleaning the
fish, called Pedi, on
vizhi for our meal

Scrapes are thrown in the

Ghayar, the cowdung pit

She then
marinated the fish
in just turmeric,
chillies and salt

Cow shed and

Ghayar

This is a
cowdung pit
We duga bit andput
kitchen waste and
it composts

Cows have gone to

the forest to graze
12
 Round movement
and the stone
is quite heavy

RAGDO
Masalas being mixed:
Grated coconut,
corriander seeds,
haldi, chilli, watamba
and salt

Since electricity
Taramati’s kitchen is an supply is currently not
assemblage of both modern there Taramati has to do
and traditional cooking it the old way.
tools and appliances. She has to grind all the masalas
on the ragdo which does take
Availability of electricity quite sometime.
determines whether an
electric grinder-mixer or a
traditional ragdo is used to
to grind the masala. A mud
and stone chulla, or stove, Taramati Goankar
is used for cooking. from the Goankar
tribe in Canacona,
South Goa

She removed
the outer
covering of
the coconut
and grated it

Grating coconut

13
 This is moveable but are
also have permanent ones
which are fixed and can’t
be moved.

Masala or rice etc. goes in the

hollow part and the smaller
stone is used to grind in a very
pestle-mortar movement.

RAGDO
Grinder

Low-to-zero-waste practices
are a part of daily life in the
village, as almost all parts of
plants are ustilized. Poi, bark
from the betelnut tree is used
to dry black pepper and other
seasonal produce. Coconut,
This is somewhat a mixture abundant in this area, has
of silbatta used in north of many uses. Leaves are used
india and pestle-mortar. as shelter and to fry fish in
a leaf-hay packet cooked on
the chulla, while malai is
used in curries. Coconut husk
shavings are used to make
brooms and as fire kindling.
Using coconut shells as
mulch is a chemical-free way
to control weed growth rather
than using chemicals.

14
Rice is a staple in almost all Indian food, and Goan cuisine is no exception. While white rice
from the store is typically stripped of all outer layers, red rice or upke is locally grown and
processed, retaining its color. Chanyi bhaji– pronounced tzeenie- has an earthy taste and a fi-
brous interior different from other tubers. Taaklyachi bhaji is made from taakla (cassia tora),
masoor daal, coconut and salt. No oil is used to make it, only a little bit of water and a sealed
pot. Moong is sweet, a mixture of jaggery powder, shredded coconut and lentils.

A tribal meal served on

a banana leaf

Ilish ‘Pedi’
Fish Fry

Moong
Dall

Takyleachi
Bhaji

Chanyi Red ‘Upke’

Bhaji Rice

15
 FOOD
PROFILES
Eating seasonally and locally
benefits the environment
and the body. In Ayurveda,
seasonal “satvik” foods boost
immunity, gut health, and
address inflammation and

“
infections. Many traditional
Goan dishes like Masala
nevri and Nachanechi bhakri, I think there is an
make use of seasonal, local urgent need to localize and
vegetables. Dried monkeyjack, seasonalize. [...] I think
or automb, used there is a huge problem
in curry paste
to add a vinegar with how we define food,
flavor what is good food, what is

“
nutritious food.

- Shruti
Tharayil,
Food Writer
& Educator at
Forgotten Greens

Ayurvedic practitioner and

Goa native Dr. Maryanne
Lobo is the founder of
Plant Walk Goa, and leads
Monsoon-time plant walks
around Goa, explaining the
different uses of indigenous
plants found in each
distinct ecosystem. The following section highlights knowledge shared by Dr. Lobo on the
Socorro Plateau through profiles of some of the forageable plants found in the area. The rich
biodiversity of this region is under threat as infrastructural development and irresponsible
tourism practices lead to substantial vegetation loss, impacting the availability of food
sources for indigenous groups and threatening their longstanding relationships with the land.

16
 Abrus
Gunja

Precatorius

Leaves are made into a paste

and are used for eczema and
skin infections.
The seeds are
poisonious but can
be purified and made into a paste
using water and applied extrenally
to relieve joint pain, swelling,
sciatica pain, cervical spondylosis

Kutaja or Holarrhena
Kuddo
It can be boiled and consumed
as a sabzi with a little coconut.
Antidysenterica
The seed pods can also be
consumed as a vegetable in
dals and sambars.

Kutajaritam: Bark used

in Ayurvedic medicine for
strengthening the digestive
system, treating indigestion, irritable
bowel syndrome and diarrhoea.

17
 Cassia
Senna

Tora Patta TAAKLA

in Konkani

This plant is foraged

and used both in
ayurveda and goan
tribal groups for
medicine and in meals
such as Talukeachi
Bhaji.
Mostly found in Andhra
Pradesh, Maharashtra &
Goa during Monsoon.

Flower
Effective in
controlling fevers
and boosting
immunity.

Leaf
Leaves aid in
treatment of Seeds
leprosy, ringworm, Seeds can also be used as a dye fixative,
flatulence, colic, natural pesticide, animal feed and
dyspepsia, constipation, have a cooling effect.
cough, bronchitis and
cardiac disorders in the
Ayurvedic systems of
medicine.

18
 Tubers
Yams and tubers are a central
part of Goan dishes because
of their local availability.

Nutritionally, they have low

glycemic index, vitamins
B1 and C, full of nutrients,
Colocasia
good for gut bacteria and
Esculenta This is an indigenous
hormones.
vegetable with nutritious
Mundlyo or leaves, loaded with
Alu tuber
micronutrients.The red one is
consumed, and the green one
has higher oxalic acid. Tastes
great with jackfruit leaves!

Air Potato or
Discorea Bulbifera
(Kanga,
Karando
The most commonly found
tuber and the only tuber that
grows above ground! They
are beneficial for sexual
health: known as “natures
viagra,” they increase sperm
count and are good for
painful and irregular menses.

19
 RECIPES
Recipes from the Goan
Kitchen demonstrate circular
practices— foraged produce,
seasonal produce, minimal
waste, traditional staples-
that have been collected
through conversations and
meals with chefs, home
cooks and friends in Goa.

“ Something as basic as traditional

recipes being shared with you by parents or
grandparents are also sustainable. Looking at
traditional recipes is a very accessible way of

“
looking at circularity in food systems.

- Vyoma Haldipur,
Food & Product
Designer

20
 Taramati Aunty’s
Chanyi Bhaji
The chanyi bhaji is a
rare root vegetable found
seasonally, and the one that
we had was foraged by the
Gaonkars of the Velipi tribe
from Canacona in South
Goa. It is very slimy and
crispy when raw and is quite
similar to arbi. This simple
preparation uses no oil and
is extremely delicious!
Taramati Auntie made the
wet masala for the bhaji on a
traditional mortar and pestle
set called a Ragdo, which
has been replaced by mixers
today, especially in the urban
centers of Goa.

Procedure
Step 1 Step 3
Chop the bhaji into 1 In a medium sized kadhai,
cm discs and boil in an roast the wet masala for a Ingredients
uncovered vessel for 10-15 minute before adding the
minutes or till it becomes soft boiled chanyi. ½ kg chanyi bhaji
and loses its crispiness. 1 cup water

Step 2 Step 4
For wet masala
To your ragdo or mixer Next, add water and salt and
1 freshly grated coconut
jar, add the freshly grated cook for 5-10 minutes. Serve
coconut, coriander seeds, with hot Goan rice 1 tsp coriander seeds
turmeric powder, dried red ½ tsp turmeric powder
chillies, dried watamba and 4 dried red chillies
water as per required. Grind Salt to taste
into coarse paste to make
your wet masala.
21
 Taramati Aunty’s
Taaklyachi Bhaji
Cassia Tora, or ‘Taakla’ as it is called in Konkani, is
abundant in Goa and can be easily foraged. This simple bhaji
with minimal spices retains the taste of the cassia tora leaves
and the peas add a great textural variation. This lovely bhaji
was part of the traditional Gaonkar lunch cooked for us by
Devidas and his family in Canacona, and served hot on a
banana leaf.

Ingredients ½ tsp chilli powder Procedure

½ tsp turmeric powder
Cassia tora leaves, roughly Step 1
½ cup water Roughly chop up the cassia
chopped Salt to taste tora leaves.
1 cup peas, boiled
2 green chillies Step 2
1 freshly grated coconut To a kadhai on medium heat,
add green chillies, chopped
cassia tora leaves, boiled
peas, salt, turmeric powder,
chilli powder and water.
Step 3
Cover and cook for 10
minutes or till the leaves wilt
and the peas are tender.
Step 4
Finally, add the coconut and
cook without a lid for 2-5
minutes or till most of the
water evaporates. Serve with
hot Goan rice.

22
Citations
1. Alvares , Patricia Ann. “Nutritious Local Produce
on the Goan Monsoon Platter: Goa News - Times of India.”
The Times of India, June 24, 2018. https://timesofindia.
indiatimes.com/city/goa/nutritious-local-produce-on-the-go-
an-monsoon-platter/articleshow/64719375.cms.
2. “Tribal Culture Comes Alive at Canacona Lokot-
sav: Goa News - Times of India.” The Times of India,
December 10, 2023. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/
goa/tribal-culture-comes-alive-at-canacona-lokotsav/article-
show/105867893.cms.

The Food Profiles section was compiled thanks to Dr.

Maryanne Lobo’s Socorro Plateau Plant Walk. To learn more
about the walks she leads, go to her instagram @drmaryan-
nelobo.

23
Cantina Futura
The 'Futura Cantina' or 'Food Lab'
initiative at Unbox Lab delves into the
future of food, drawing inspiration
from India's rich culinary heritage and
culture. The philosophy of the canteen
is to go back to the old traditions and
values surrounding food in India and
make it our future.

About Unbox Labs Goa

UnBox has its origins as a international
design festival initiated in 2011 that has
brought together interdisciplinary
practitioners for collaboration and
expression, which forms the bases of
Unbox lab. It is a space for innovation
and socio-cultural impact, and acts as a
convening space for various
communities in and around Goa.
EPISODE I MAY ‘24

Gathering &
Growing in Goa