GOAN CUISINE

INTRODUCTION
Goa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South
West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to
the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Seaforms its western
coast. Goa is India's richest state with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the
country as a whole. It was ranked the best placed state by the Eleventh Finance Commission
for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National
Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators.
Panaji is the state's capital, while Vasco da Gama is the largest city. The historic city of
Margao still exhibits the cultural influence of the Portuguese, who first landed in the early
16th century as merchants, and conquered it soon thereafter. The Portuguese overseas
territory existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.
Renowned for its beaches, places of worship and world heritage architecture, Goa is visited
by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year. It also has rich flora and
fauna, owing to its location on the Western Ghats range, which is classified as a biodiversity
hotspot.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Goa encompasses an area of 3,702 km2 (1,430 sq mile). It lies between the latitudes
14°53′54′′ N and 15°40′00′′ N and longitudes 73°40′33′′ E and 74°20′13′′ E. Most of Goa is a
part of the coastal country known as the Konkan, which is an escarpment rising up to the
Western Ghats range of mountains, which separate it from the Deccan Plateau. The highest
point is the Sonsogor, with an altitude of 1,167 meters (3,827 feet). Goa has a coastline of
101 km (63 miles).
Goa's main rivers are the Mandovi, the Zuari, the Terekhol, Chapora River and the Sal. The
Mormugao harbour on the mouth of the River Zuari is one of the best natural harbours in
South Asia. The Zuari and the Mandovi are the lifelines of Goa, with their tributaries draining
69% of its geographic area. These rivers are one of the busiest rivers in India. Most of Goa's
soil cover is made up of laterites which are rich in ferric aluminium oxides and reddish in
colour. Further inland and along the riverbanks, the soil is mostly alluvial and loamy. The soil
is rich in minerals and humus, thus conducive to plantation. Some of the oldest rocks in the
Indian subcontinent are found in Goa between Molem and Anmod on Goa's border with
Karnataka. The rocks are classified as Trondjemeitic Gneiss estimated to be 3,600 million
years old, dated by the Rubidium isotope dating method. A specimen of the rock is exhibited
in the Goa University. Goa, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, has a hot and
humid climate for most of the year. The month of May is the hottest, seeing day temperatures
of over 35 °C (95 °F) coupled with high humidity. The monsoon rains arrive by early June
and provide a much needed respite from the heat. Most of Goa's annual rainfall is received
through the monsoons which last till late September.

HISTORY
Goa's known history stretches back to the 3rd century BC, when it formed part of the
Mauryan Empire, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka of Magadha. Buddhist monks laid
the foundation of Buddhism in Goa. Between the 2nd century BCE and the 6th century CE,
Goa was ruled by the Chutus of Karwar as feudatories of the Satavahanas of Kolhapur (2nd
century BCE to the 2nd century CE), Western Kshatrapas (around 150 CE), the Abhiras of
Western Maharashtra, Bhojas of the Yadav clans of Gujarat, and the Konkan Mauryas as
feudatories of the Kalachuris. The rule later passed on to the Chalukyas of Badami, who
controlled it between 578 to 753, and later the Rashtrakutas of Malkhed from 753 to 963.
However from 765 to 1015, the Southern Silharas of Konkan ruled Goa as the feudatories of
the Chalukyas and the Rashtrakutas. Over the next few centuries, Goa was successively ruled
by the Kadambasas the feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. They patronised Jainism in
Goa.
In 1510, the Portuguese defeated the ruling Bijapur kings with the help of a local ally,
Timayya, leading to the establishment of a permanent settlement in Velha Goa (or Old Goa).
In 1843 the capital was moved to Panjim from Velha Goa. By the mid-18th century the area
under occupation had expanded to most of Goa's present day state limits. Simultaneously the
Portuguese lost other possessions in India until their borders stabilised and formed the Estado
da India Portuguesa, of which Goa was the largest territory.
After India gained independence from the British in 1947, Portugal refused to negotiate with
India on the transfer of sovereignty of their Indian enclaves. On 12 December 1961, the
Indian Army commenced with Operation Vijay resulting in the annexation of Goa, Damman
and Diu into the Indian union. Goa, along with Daman and Diu was made into a centrally
administered Union Territory of India. On 30 May 1987, the Union Territory was split, and
Goa was made India's twenty-fifth state, with Daman and Diu remaining Union.

THE JOURNEY OF GOAN FOOD

Both eastern and western culture parleyed for a long period of time in Goa, the headquarters
of the Estado da India Portuguesa. This encounter impacted on people’s lifestyles and brought
about a dietary revolution. People of all three communities in Goa – Hindus, Christians and
Muslims – have contributed to local food, with influences from the outside world more
evident among the Christian community than the other two.
Vasco da Gama’s journey to India in 1498 led to significant changes in the culinary art of
many nations. There was transfer of products, circulation of recipes and food habits from the
New World (the Americas), Europe, places en route as well as from areas under Portuguese
control or places where they had settlements like in Africa and Asia. The Portuguese acted as
facilitators in this exchange with their political control over some areas around the world
enabling them to introduce changes more easily. Historian M.N.

Pearson argues that Portugal played the role of a conveyer belt to the major markets in
northern and central Europe. The Portuguese brought goods to Goa for their own
consumption, trade or as a part of their culture. From the routes discovered and used by the
Portuguese came a host of plants/roots producing luscious fruits and vegetables never seen or
heard of before such as potato, tomato, pumpkin, aubergine, cashew nut, pimento (chilli),
papaya, passion fruit, pineapple and guava to enrich our diet. From Mozambique in Africa,
among other things, was introduced a recipe on how to prepare Galinha Piri-piri (Chicken
Piri-piri). Fruits, vegetables and herbs like cilantro (coriander) from across the seas added
flavour to Goan, especially Hindu, cuisine as also made the food more aesthetic when used as
a garnish.
From Goa, fruit bearing plants such as mangoes, coconuts and spices made their way to
places as far as Brazil via rulers, traders, missionaries and, in more recent times, Goan
migrants. These products enriched the culinary art and economy of various regions. Before
the arrival of the Portuguese in 1510, the food habits of a majority of the people in Goa were
more or less uniform, although there were some influences from earlier rulers. During the
Portuguese period (1510-1961) many traditional habits were discarded, new ones added and
recipes circulated and modified to suit the needs of the rulers and the ruled or the availability
of certain ingredients. Many new food products and customs percolated into Goan society.
Among these was the use of potato by people of all communities in making savouries such as
samosas, batawadas, potato baji as well as in meat and fish recipes.
The new food products brought to India changed the lifestyle of the people, sometimes in a
subtle way. Many of the food producing plants became an integral part of the local flora,
altering the economy and food habits of the people. Few realize, for instance, that chillies
which are widely used in Goan and Indian cuisine were a stranger to our continent until the
Portuguese introduced them from the Americas. Chillies, particularly the dried red variety,
are used widely to add pungency, flavour, texture, marinate meats and fish and to make the
world famous Goan humon – prawn/fish curry and other curries. They are also used in
tempero (a paste of spices, chillies, garlic, turmeric ground with vinegar) popularly known
among Goans as recheiad /recheiado-masala to stuff fish or to make the famous Goan pork
sorpatel (sorapotel), prawn/ fish or pork balchão, while the green variety is used to make
chutneys, pickles, give pungency and taste to vegetables, meats and fish. Without the zing of
chillies, our curries, gravy, pickles and savouries would have less flavour, colour and spice.
Rulers, merchants, missionaries, Portuguese women in India, exiles, slaves and others, all
played different roles in introducing various types of food, knowledge of food habits and for
circulating recipes. It has often been pointed out that the nuns of the Convento da Santa
Monica in the old city of Goa were responsible for introducing Portuguese recipes and for
creating the Indo-Portuguese recipes – particularly sweets like dedos da dama, petas de
freiras (similar to the French sweet, pets de none), pasteis de natas, pasteis de Santa Clara.
These conventual sweets are still served as dessert in some Goan Christian homes on festive
occasions. Some of the Indo-Portuguese recipes created by them are a blend of Portuguese
and Goan recipes or Portuguese recipes adjusted to meet the needs of the time and
availability of ingredients. In addition to sweets, the Portuguese brought to Goa their
guisados, caldei-radas and assados prepared with fish and meats.

Not all food products, plants and dietary habits were easily assimilated. Consequently,
various methods were devised to introduce new food habits, products and recipes –
regulations, treaties, force and instructions issued by the Portuguese government, Church and
its agency, the Inquisition. The non-eating of pork, for instance, was at one time an offence
punishable by the Inquisition. New food habits were also introduced through interaction,
miscegenation, marriages, religion and migration. At times new food habits became popular
because they were part of Christian cuisine or had been brought in by the rulers.

The Portuguese used regulations to introduce new food habits or to stop those that persisted
even after a section of population converted to Christianity. Conversion forced the Goan
Christians to give up some food habits, adapt new dietary habits or ingredients and introduce
radical changes in food processing. For example, in 1736, the Holy Inquisition issued a
decree banning Christians from cooking rice without salt. Both this and chewing pan (leaf
and betel nut) were considered as habits of the gentios (non-Christians). The rulers introduced
the practice of eating meats – beef and pork – among the converts. These were mainly
consumed by upper class Christians. In the early 19th century, Cottineau de Klougen, during
his visit to Goa, noted that the poor did not eat meat more than three or four times a year, a
luxury which they could not afford on a daily basis. However, on festive occasions such as
Christmas, Easter, weddings or feast of a village patron saint large numbers of Christians
irrespective of their social and economic status, would consume meat, particularly pork.
Pork became the centre piece of Goan Christian cuisine on festive occasions in Old Conquest
territories – Bardes, Salcete, Ilhas (also known as Tiswadi). No meal would be complete
without pork meat with at least a sorapotel or a vindalho and particularly, among the upper
strata, a roast pigling and pork balchão. However, some pre-conversion practices prevented
many Christians in the New Conquest from consuming meat, particularly beef and pork.
Instead, they occasionally consumed poultry and mutton, which incidentally is also eaten by
non-Christians in Goa.

A durable change, first introduced by the Portuguese to Goa was oven-baked bread that a boy
from Padeiro (baker) still delivers every morning. Padeiros (Poder in Konkani) have always
been from the Christian community, a majority hailing from the Old Conquests, mainly from
Salcete. Pão (bread) known as pau in Konkani, though not a staple food has now become
popular with all communities. To begin with, pão was a part of Christian upper class diet
eaten for breakfast, with mid-afternoon tea and to accompany meat, fish or vegetable dish
during main meals.

The Portuguese introduced sura (palm toddy) instead of the yeast in the process of
fermentation in Goa, particularly in the making of wheat bread. Sura was also used to make
vinegar introduced in the Goan Christian cuisine by the Portuguese for adding flavour,
provide a sour taste and as a preservative in meat, fish, vegetable and pickle recipes. Meat
became a regular part of Christian cuisine after conversion. However, there was sanction on
eating meat during certain periods among Christians in Goa – viz. Lent – and instead people
were encouraged to eat fish. Fortunately, being a coastal area, fish was easily available and
cheap. At other times religion was used to introduce some food practices or to end others as
in the case of boiling rice with salt. These food habits based on religion were then used by the
Portuguese to create new distinctions between Hindus and Christians, or Christians of
different classes. For instance, Christians use vinegar to give a sour taste to meat and fish
preparations while non-Christians in Goa use sour lime or tamarind pulp for the same
purpose.
Christmas confectionary of the Goan Christians that forms a part of ‘consuada’
(confectionaries sent to relatives and neighbours) draws on many cultures – Portuguese,
Hindu, Arabic, Malaysian and Brazilian. Food and recipes were not always introduced in
their original form, and instead modified according to availability of ingredients, climatic
conditions and local tastes. Often, the Portuguese carried ingredients from their country. As
long as these lasted, recipes were prepared in their original version but once they ran out,
local substitutes were introduced. For instance, almonds or walnuts in Portuguese recipes
were often replaced by cashew nuts or coconut. Almonds were not easily available in Goa
and prohibitively expensive. From Arabia via Portugal came the marzipan. Apparently, when
the Arabs ruled the Iberian peninsula they brought marzipan made out of almond paste (and
sugar) to Portugal. Galinha (Frango) Piri-piri a grilled bush dish from Mozambique
underwent changes when brought to Goa. It came to be known as Galinha Cafreal (chicken
cafreal) and was no longer grilled but fried.

Sometimes recipes were modified to suit the palate of the people or add flavour, as in the case
of sarabulho, vindalho, cabidela and feijoada made of pork. Sarabulho in its original form
consisted of pork meat, liver, ears, tail and limbs. Only a few spices were added to the
cooking. Goan Christians discarded the ears, tail, limbs, added tempero paste and called it
sorpotel (sarapatel). It is a popular dish in the Goan Christian cuisine on festive occasions and
even today many in the Goan diaspora prepare it. The famous Goan sausages are a modified
version of Portuguese chouriço. Bebinca, the queen of Goan Christian dessert on festive
occasions, is a modified version of bebingka made in Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. At
other times, the original name was retained but new ingredients added or substituted. In Goa,
flour was often substituted by semolina, cashew nuts were used in place of dry fruits and
jaggery replaced sugar in preparation of a variety of sweets. This way new recipes were
created or adopted giving rise to a new Indo-Portuguese cuisine. At times, local names were
changed when a section of inhabitants converted to Christianity even though the ingredients
and method of cooking remained the same. This was probably the case with black Dodol – a
kind of halwa (sweet) prepared with rice flour, black jaggery and coconut juice on festive
occasions by Christians in Goa, Kerala and Sri Lanka. Goan Christians prepare Dodol or Kali
Dodol (as known in Sri Lanka) with black jaggery of coconut palm. The sweet is no different
from various halwas prepared by Hindus in Goa, the only difference being the colour of the
jaggery and change of name. The Hindus call it Alvo and use a lighter colour jaggery made of
sugarcane. Goans prepare different foods for different occasions – daily consumption, festive
(religious and non-religious) occasions, food for the gods, rituals, ancestors, and according to
the season. Food for daily consumption consists of rice, curry, fish/vegetables and pickles
depending on the economic status. Goans are basically non-vegetarian. Fish is an important
item of their diet.

Goan food today is a fusion of many cuisines, and in many ways it brought the colonizer and
the colonized closer. Goan food drew on different influences – Arab, Konkan, Malabar,
Malaysian, Portuguese, Brazilian, French, African and even Chinese. There are many dishes
common to Goa, Daman, Kerala, Mangalore (other areas of Konkan), Malaysia, Macau,
Portugal, Brazil and Sri Lanka. The history of the evolution of Goan cuisine not only helps us
understand the complex processes of assimilation and exclusion, it also serves as an exemplar
of Indian multi-culturalism.

CURRENT FOOD HABITS AND STYLE

Rice with fish curry (Xit kodi in Konkani) is the staple diet in Goa. Goan cuisine is famous
for its rich variety of fish dishes cooked with elaborate recipes. Coconut and coconut oil are
widely used in Goan cooking along with chili peppers, spices and vinegar giving the food a
unique flavour. Pork dishes such as Vindaloo, Xacuti and Sorpotel are cooked for major
occasions among the Goan Catholics. Sannas,Hitt are variants of idli and
Polle,Amboli,Kailoleo are variants of dosa;are native to Goa. A rich egg-based multi-layered
sweet dish known as bebinca is a favourite at Christmas. The most popular alcoholic
beverage in Goa is feni; Cashew feni is made from the fermentation of the fruit of the cashew
tree, while coconut feni is made from the sap of toddy palms. Rice is the main food crop with
pulses, ragi and other food crops are also grown. Main cash crops are coconuts, cashewnuts,
arecanuts, sugarcane and fruits like pineapples, mangos and bananas. Coconut trees are
ubiquitous and are present in almost all areas of Goa barring the elevated regions. A large
number of deciduous vegetation consisting of teak, sal, cashew and mango trees are present.
Fruits include jackfruits, mangos, pineapples and blackberries. Goa's forests are rich with
medicinal plants. Foxes, wild boars and migrating birds are found in the jungles of Goa.
Numerous types of fish are also caught off the coast of Goa and in its rivers. Crabs, lobsters,
shrimps, jellyfish, oysters and catfish form some of the piscine catch. The names used are the
same, as are the ingredients used, for making a delicacy, yet their aroma, flavor, taste, texture,
and color can be completely different. Subtle differences in ingredients or their use make the
outcome of these similar recipes so different. The Christians prefer to use vinegar, while the
Hindus use kokum and tamarind to get the tang in their respective cuisines. The northerners
of Goa grind their coconuts and masalas (spices) individually while the southern Goans like
to grind them together, and then pass it through a fine muslin cloth to retain the goodness.
Many times people vary the pork to mutton and chicken to make the various curries.
Although coconut is an essential part of the everyday cooking, there is no coconut in several
of the popular delicacies like rissois de camarao, sopa grossa, balchao and vindaloo, and that
wedding favourite, caldo. And, naturally, when sardines are cooked with tomato puree and
olive oil in the Portuguese manner, coconut is absent.

GOAN DISHES
Fish Reichado
A pan fried fish stuffed with a red goan masala. Most commonly used fish is Mackerel or
Bangda. The fish may be coated in semolina(rava).
Chicken Xacuti
It is a curry made with complex spicing, including white poppy seeds and large dried red
chilies. It is usually prepared with chicken or lamb. It is also known as chacuti, in Portuguese.
Prawn Balchao
Balchao is a method of cooking either fish or prawns in a dark red and fiery tangy sauce.
Balchao is almost like pickling and can be made days in advance without reheating. The
traditional Balchao uses a paste made from dried shrimp known as 'galmbo'(pronounced:Gal
maw) in Konkani. Many people leave out the dried shrimp paste as this lends a fairly strong
fishy flavour to the dish. Balchao is often bottled and is very compatible and can be eaten as
an accompaniment also Catholic homes may use coconut vinegar for its acidic sharpness,
Hindu families may use cane vinegar to make it milder.These days it is common to use white
distilled vinegar or malt vinegar.
Pork Vindaloo
The term vindaloo derives from the Portuguese dish "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos", which is a
dish of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The dish evolved into the vindaloo curry
dish when it received the Goan treatment of adding plentiful amounts of traditional spice and
using malt vinegar instead of red wine.[1] Alternate terms are vindalho or vindallo.
Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lambsometimes mixed with potatoes.
Traditional vindaloos do not include potatoes, the discrepancy arising because the word
"aloo" means "potato" in Hindi.
Sorpotel
It is a dish of Portuguese origin now commonly cooked in the coastal Konkan region of India
primarily Goa and Mangalore and in northeastern Brazil. Ingredients include meat and offal,
which varies depending on region from pork to lamb and even beef. The meats are first
parboiled, then diced and sauteed before being cooked in a spicy and vinegary sauce.
Chicken Cafreal
Cafreal is a spicy chicken preparation consumed widely in the Indian state of Goa. The
preparation originated from the Portuguese colonies in the African continent. It was
introduced into the Goan cuisine by the Portuguese. The generic preparation involves onion,
garlic, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, mace and fresh coriander leaves.
Prawn Curry
Grounded coconut is mixed with red chillies, peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds,
turmeric powder, garlic and ginger to make a fine paste. Sliced onions, tamarind juice and
green chillies are added along with a cup of water and salt. The mixture is cooked and dried
mango and kokum are added in process. Later, prawns are added and are cooked till ready.
The dish is a hot favourite of all seafood lovers. The dish is eaten with brown goan rice. In
Goa, the dish is called Xit Kodi (Rice and curry).
Ambot Tik
It is a sour and tangy curry made with dried red chillies, tomatoes. This dish is usually
cooked with shark.
Stuffed Squid
Squid heads stuffed with diced prawns and squid tentacles sautéed in a goan masala.
Goa sausages
Here chouriço are deep red pork sausage links made from pork, vinegar, chili, garlic, ginger,
cumin, turmeric and other spices and are extremely hot, spicy and flavorful, that are then
stuffed into chitterlings (pigs intestines). These are enjoyed either with the local Goan bread
(e.g. pão), or pearl onions, or both. They are also used in a rice-based dish called pulão. They
are never consumed raw due to health concerns. One can find three kinds of chouriço in Goa:
dry, wet, and skin. Dry chouriço is the one aged in the sun for much longer periods (e.g. 3
months or more). Wet chouriço has been aged for about a month. Skin chouriço, also aged, is
rare and difficult to find. Skin chouriço consists primarily of pork skin and some fat. All three
chouriço come in variations such as hot, medium and mild. Other forms of variations that
exist depend on the size of the links which range from 1 inch (smallest) to 6 inches. Typically
the wet variation tends to be longer than the dry variation.
In Goa, tourists often refer to chouriço as "sausage" which causes it to be often confused with
"Goan Frankfurters". These are very different from chouriço. In looks, they are similar to
sausage links as found in the United States and they taste similar to Portuguese sausage links,
known as Linguiça. The meat is a coarse grinding that has primarily a peppercorn flavor.
Feijoada
This is made of red kidney beans and goan sausage. Tomatoes are sometimes added.
Crab Xec Xec
Crab Xec Xec refers to crabs (preferably rock crabs) cooked in a pre roasted coconut
gravy.
Prawn Caldeen
The goan prawn caldine is a peppy prawn recipe prepared with spices and coconut milk for
taste. Prepped up with chili herbed with coriander, the goan prawn caldine can be served as
desired.
Cabidela
This dish is either made with chicken or rabbit. After the animal is killed, it is allowed to
hang and all the blood is collected. It is then cooked together. This imparts a grayish- brown
colour to the dish.
Sannas
Sannas, are a spongy, white, and slightly sweet steamed rice and coconut bread. They are
considered to be a Goan variant of idli, a South Indian dish. This dish is flavoured with toddy.
Bebinca
Bebinca, also known as bibik, is a type of pudding and a traditional Goan dessert. The
ingredients include plain flour, sugar, ghee (clarified butter) and coconut milk. The dessert is
baked in a specially-made clay oven, with a layer of hot coals over it. It has to be baked in
layers and traditionally has 16 layers.
Caldo Verde
The basic ingredients for caldo Verde are potatoes and onions. It has a slight taste of
garlic. Olive oil is drizzled over the soup.
Neoreos
This a semi circular shaped Christmas sweet which is stuffed with either coconut and sugar or
besan.
Dodol
It is a toffee-like sweet made with coconut milk, jaggery, and rice flour, and is sticky, thick
and sweet. It normally takes up to 8-9 hours to cook dodol. From the start till the end of the
cooking process, the dodol must be constantly stirred in a big wok. Pausing in between would
cause the dodol to burn and that will spoil the taste and aroma. The dodol is completely
cooked is when it is firm, and doesn't stick to your fingers when you touch it.
Goa Sausage Pulao
This is a pulao which is cooked along with goan sausages. The oil and flavor is absorbed by
the rice. The sausage gives the rice an orange colour.
Chamuça
A goan version of the samosa. It is usually stuffed with potatoes or beef or mutton mince.
Guava Cheese
A rubbery sweet made with guava pulp and sugar. It is dark brown in colour.
Filoz
Filoz are a type of pancake prepared using jaggery and bananas. It native to the Goan
Catholics of the Indian state of Goa.
Mol de Peixe
It means fish pickle. Very similar to balchao.
Doce
Doce is a popular sweet prepared during various ceremonies in Goa. It is a part of the Kuswar
and is a popular sweet prepared during Christmas. The word doce means sweet in Portuguese,
the colonial language of Goa. The sweet is made by stirring boiled chickpeas, ground coconut
paste, and sugar over a low flame and adding ghee while cooking. The mixture is then rolled
out while still hot and cut into squares or other shapes.
Kul Kuls
It is a food preparation that forms a part of the Kuswar. It forms a part of the goodies
prepared for the Christmas festival celebrated in Goa and in and around the city of
Mangalore, in the South West coast of India. They come in different shapes and are coated
with icing sugar.
Pez
Pez or conjee is a dish possibly not originating from Goa but is widely cooked all over. It is
eaten for breakfast. Rice is cooked with a little excess water making it very soupy and this is
usually accompanied by a pickle,etc.
Assad Roast
It may be made with pork or mutton. The meat is first browned and then cooked with cloves,
cinnamon and red chillies.
Bolinhas
They are small round cakes made of coconut. They are also called coconut cakes. The word
bolinha means a small cake.
Apa de Camarão
Apa De Camarao, is something like a prawn pie, it’s a special kind of dough with a prawn
stuffing.
Tongue Roast
Tongue is cooked along with dry red chilies, peppercorns and cloves. Once the tongue is
cooked, thin slices are made and the gravy is poured over and served.
Empadinhas
Portuguese based patties made with a dough made of rawa and flour and stuffed with pork. A
little sugar is added to the dough to make it sweetish.
Beef Rolando
Thin slices of beef rolled with goan sausages and vegetables and then cooked in a gravy. This
dish is also made dry.
Aad Maas
Pork ribs cooked with a spicy masala.
Pork Jirem-Mirem
A spicy curry made with a lot of jeera and also other spices. Pork or fish is used. Most
famous being the Pork Girem-mirem.
Caldeirada
Different types of fish are arranged in layers between potatoes, onions and red and yellow
bell peppers and is then baked or steamed.

GOAN FESTIVALS
Goan Catholics have retained their Hindu caste system and customs regarding marriage.
First, The Soirik or the (betrothal) and Mudi (engagement) ceremony.
 The Chuddo (ceremony during which bangles are worn by the bride)
 The Ros (anointing) ceremony, conducted one or two days before the wedding, involves
the parents, relatives and friends blessings on the bride and groom, who are anointed with
coconut milk. bhuim jevonn (ritual meal in honor of the ancestors) or bikariam che jevonn
(meal for the poor/beggars), the
 Oupsoon (giving away the bride formally by the father or the guardian of the bride),
 Appoune (invitation to the bride's house).Konsachem fest (harvest festival) that involves
blessing of new harvests. Later, it is followed by the traditional Catholic wedding mass and
finally the Wedding Reception which wraps up the 4-5 day long wedding.
Goans are very hospitable and lavishly spend on food during festive occasions such as birth,
naming ceremonies, birthdays, thread ceremony, first holy communion, engagement
ceremonies (exchange of rings), pre-marriage rituals such as tel/ross ceremony and Bikrem
jevon (Bhuim jevon), marriages, religious festivals, village feasts and anniversaries. This
lavish expenditure impelled the government in colonial times to issue orders banning such
customs.
For example, the birth of a child was celebrated for a week. Christians also observed a month
long death anniversary when special food was served. During pre-wedding rituals people of
all communities prepare a wide range of dishes. Christians offer Bikrem jevon (food for the
poor) also known as Bhuim jevon (food eaten sitting on the floor) in honour of their
ancestors. The poor of the village, relatives, neighbours, close friends or members of the
community living in the same village are all invited for this non-vegetarian lunch. Today,
most people do not follow this custom; instead they send food to a home for the poor or aged.
Just before marriage, an ojem – a basket containing foodstuff, mainly sweets, fruits and
among Christians some bolos (a kind of cakes) made of rice flour and jaggery – is sent to the
groom’s house for distribution among neighbours and relatives. Among the Christians, the
manner of serving food reflected the class they belonged to. The lower classes eat food sitting
on the floor or on a low stool known as bakin. Food is cooked in fired clay pots and eaten in
clay or metal plates, or cheap quality porcelain ones. Doules (spoons) made of coconut shells
were common in Christian kitchens. The upper classes and even middle class Christians ate
their meals sitting on chairs around a table in the dining room/hall or in a passage near the
kitchen. The table is covered with a tablecloth or a synthetic material. On festive occasions
the tablecloth would be of white damask, Chinese embroidery or crochet lace. This class
mainly used porcelain dishes to serve and eat food.
On festive occasions, Chinese blue and white pattern porcelain and other imported porcelain
is used. Upper class Christians use cutlery to eat which is placed according to the custom in
Portugal, usually the French or Russian style – the fork on the left, the knife on the right and
the spoon in front besides a dessert spoon. Separate glasses for water and wine are arranged
on the table on festive occasions. In colonial times, among the upper class Christians,
domestic staff served food, course by course – soup, fish followed by meat, vegetables, rice
and curry. It was customary to eat a dessert or fruit after a meal.
Equipments
Rogdo: A stone grinder. Itt is made of granite and it consists of a mortar and pistle. There are
two types/shapes. One is a round mortar with a depression in the centre and the other is flat.
People believe that masala’s that are ground with this has a better flavor.
Sadan Compro: It is a sanna steamer. The trays shaped like sannas are kept inside and is
heated from below and above(with the help of coconut husks). Bebinca was traditionally
made in this too but heat from only above was used to brown the upper surface.
Cunne: These are clay pots used for cooking dishes like prawn curry.
Dolo: Coconut spoons. The shell of the coconut is used and usually a bamboo stick is used as
a handle. Villages use this even today and is even used in traditional Goan restaurants.
Dantem: This was used to grind rice,etc into flour.
Zoddou: Wood fire stoves used in villages for cooking. It is believed that food cooked on
wood fire gives the food a different taste.
Modko: This is not a cooking equipment but it very common in goan houses. It is an earthen
pot usually shaped like a galo(cock). It is used to store water and this keeps the water cool.
This was probably used when refrigerators did not exist. But people follow the tradition and
are still found in people’s houses.