Goan Food ( Goan Cuisine)
Goan cuisine consists of regional foods popular in Goa, an Indian state located along India's west coast on the shore of the Arabian Sea. Rice, seafood, coconut, vegetables, meat, pork and local spices are some of the main ingredients in Goan cuisine. The area is located in a tropical climate, which means that spices and flavors are intense. Use of kokum is another distinct feature. Goan food is considered incomplete without fish.
The cuisine of Goa originated from its Hindu Saraswat cuisine roots, and was influenced by the 451 years of Portuguese colonisation and the century of Muslim rule that preceded the Portuguese.[1] Many Catholic dishes are either similar to or variants of their Portuguese counterparts in both naming or their use of ingredients.
1) Chicken Cafreal
Frango Γ 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.[1] It was introduced into the Goan cuisine by the Portuguese and the African soldiers serving under the Portuguese.
The generic preparation involves green chillies, fresh coriander leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, mace, clove powder and lime juice or vinegar. Chicken Cafreal is always made from whole chicken legs, flavoured with the spices and herbs mentioned and then shallow fried.[2] Chicken Cafreal is usually accompanied by potato wedges and lime wedges. It is a popular dish in the bars and taverns of the state.
It is suspected that the dish originated in the Portuguese colonies in Africa, most likely in Κ½MozambiqueΚΌ. "Γ Cafreal" means "in the way of the Cafres" and cafre was the designation of the inhabitants of Cafraria, the region of Southern Africa inhabited by non-Muslim peoples (compare English kafir). According to this hypothesis, the cafreal chicken derives from the piri-piri chicken typical of those places. In many contexts and locations in the world, chicken piri-piri and chicken cafreal designate the same dish, but in Goa they are two very different things, even in color, since the first is red.[2]
2) Prawns BalchΓ£o
BalchΓ£o has been described as "a fiery dish from Goa (in coastal western India) which is almost like a pickle".[1] It is a spicy seafood or meat dish in Goan cuisine.
Ingredients Edit
BalchΓ£o is a method of cooking, made with either fish (de peixe), prawns (de camarΓ£o), or pork (de porco), in a spicy and tangy tomato-chili sauce.[2] It resembles pickling and can be made days in advance without reheating. Some Goans make prawn balchao in tamarind sauce.
The traditional balchΓ£o uses a paste made from dried shrimp known as galmbo in Konkani.
Its ingredients could include prawns, oil, onions chopped fine, tomatoes, garlic paste or cloves, ginger paste or ginger, dried red chillies, cumin seed, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, vinegar and salt.[1]
3) Chicken Xacuti
Xacuti or Xacutti (Konkani: ΰ€Άाΰ€ोΰ€€ी) is a curry prepared in Goa, India, with complex spicing, including white poppy seeds, sliced or grated coconut and large dried red chilies.[1] It is usually prepared with chicken, lamb, or beef.[2][3] It is also known as chacuti in Portuguese.
Xacuti or Shagoti as is commonly known in Goa has its origin in Harmal (now Arambol) in Pernem Taluka of Goa. Here fisherman in the olden days used to get a fresh catch of fish or a local chicken and prepare a gravy for this dish. The gravy typically used local spices like black pepper (meerya), chilli, turmeric, onion, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, etc. The hero was a mildly roasted coconut kernel which is finely grated and lightly toasted.
4) khatkhate
Khatkhate (ΰ€ΰ€€ΰ€ΰ€€ें) is a well-known last name in Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community hailing from Konkan province of Maharashtra state and the coastal region of Goa in India. Additional information on the surname is available at Khatkhate Wadi.
In Indian Cuisine, khatkhate (ΰ€ΰ€€ΰ€ΰ€€ें) curry is an exotic mixed vegetable stew of Goan cuisine. This dish is usually prepared for weddings, pujas, and other occasions. Khatkhate is a Goan and Konkani dish.
Khatkhate curry is prepared with at least five vegetables, plus grated coconut, jaggery, kokum, tamarind, tirphala/tepphal (Sichuan pepper — a special spice from the Konkan region), dried red chili, garam masala powder, and turmeric powder. The vegetables include radish (mooli), potato, sweet potato (ratala), carrots, corn on the cob, pumpkins (bhopala), and any seasonal vegetables.
5) Varan Bhaat
Varan bhaat is a vegan,[1] Indian food preparation involving pigeon pea dal and rice as its main ingredients.[2] It belongs to Marathi and Goan cuisine. Its other ingredients are turmeric powder, cumin seeds, asafoetida, jaggery and salt.[3][4] According to Sanjeev Kapoor, it is a part of a Goan wedding meal.[4] Naivedhya offered to Ganapati on Ganesh Chaturthi includes varan bhaat.[5] It has been described as a favourite dish or comfort food by celebrities such as Priya Bapat,[6] Yatin Karyekar,[7] the late Bhimsen Joshi.[8] Shobha De describes herself as one who is "as Marathi as varan bhaat", thus considering it as a quintessentially Marathi food preparation.[9] Varan bhaat has been described as "filling and non-spicy" and good to have during the Indian summers.[10] According to Tarla Dalal the Gujarati preparation "lachko dal" and rice combination is similar to varan bhaat.[11] A CNN story includes it in the list of "40 Mumbai foods we can't live without",[12] describing varan bhaat as "simple and humble... soul satisfying food of Mumbai city".
6) Patoleo
Patoleo (singular: Patoli) are turmeric leaf stuffed leaf wrap, a dish which is mostly prepared on the western coast of India and other Indian Ocean islands. It is made of grated coconut, rice and jaggery, and cooked by wrapping and steaming in turmeric leaves.
Hindu community Edit
A home-made dish of sweet Patoleo, cooked in the style of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community.
Konkani-speaking Hindus prepare Patoleo on the second Sunday of Shravan, on Nag Panchami and on Hartalika, the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi.[1] Salt-free Patoleo, are offered to Goddess Parvati, who according to a legend, is said to have a strong craving for these sweets during her pregnancy.[2]
Served with leaves on, in a dish. They are mainly eaten after removing the leaf and are eaten with the vegetarian festive lunch during the Hindu festivals.[citation needed]
Christian community
'Patoleo' prepared in Goan Catholic style. Pièce de résistance of the Assumption feast celebration.
The simplest version of the Goan Catholic Patoleo is prepared by smearing parboiled rice (ukadeΓ± tΓ’ndul) paste on fresh turmeric leaves (hΓ΄ldi pΓ’n) to which a filling of freshly grated coconut (chΓ»n) and coconut jaggery (mΓ’ddΓ’cheΓ± godd) is added. Lastly, the leaves are folded, sealed and steam cooked, preferably in a traditional utensil known as chondrΓ΅. These are served hot on a platter with the leaves on and eaten after peeling them off. They are often accompanied with tea or other hot beverages.[3]
The Catholic feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a holy day of obligation) which falls on 15 August coincides with the Independence Day of India.[4] It is a feast held dearly by the Goan Catholic community, as many villages across Goa celebrate KonsΓ’cheΓ± fest (harvest festival) on this day and Patoleo are the star dish of the celebration.[5][6][7] It is also prepared in Goa on the feast of SΓ£o JoΓ£o (Nativity of St John the Baptist) which falls on 24 June.[2]
Patoleo are sent with VojeΓ± (bride's trousseau) to the bridegroom's house by the Goan people—Catholics and Hindus alike. The tradition of distributing Patoleo to neighbours and friends after the arrival of a new born in the family is still retained by some Goans. In bygone times, Patoleo were also distributed to mark the completion of construction of a house in Goa. Some Goan Catholic families send Patoleo to a house where people are mourning the death of a family member.[2] Until modern medicine, Patoleo was often used to help children with whooping cough.
The East Indian Catholics call it PΓ’n Mori or 'East Indian leaf cakes'. The Mangalorean Catholics say Patoley in their accent.
7) Bebinca
Bebinca, also known as bibik or bebinka, is a traditional layer cake of Goa, India derived from Indo-Portuguese cuisine. Traditionally, Bebinka has between 7 and 16 layers, but it can be modified per one's convenience and taste.[1][2] It is especially popular during Christmas, but is available in Goa year round due to tourist demand.[3][4] It is also easily available to carry and preserve for a long time or eaten fresh.
Bebinca was also adopted as a typhoon name in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, contributed by Macau.[5] It is also prepared in Portugal and Mozambique.
Preparation
Preparing bebinca is a slow process.[4] The batter is made with flour, sugar, ghee, egg yolk, and coconut milk.[6][7] The batter is spread thinly onto a grill and the layers are stacked atop one another. Bebinca may be garnished with nutmeg or slivered almonds.[2]
8)Sanna
Sanna (Konkani: ΰ€Έाΰ€¨्ΰ€¨ां) and plural Sannas are spongy steamed savoury rice cakes originating from the west Coast of Indian subcontinent. They are popular in Goa and Mangalore in India, especially among the Goans (both Hindus and Catholics), the Konkani diaspora of Karnataka and of a small community settled in Kerala, and the East Indians and the Kupari community based in and around Mumbai.
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Hindus normally use urad dal, coconut water and coconut milk for fermentation.[1] Catholic sannas consist of two types: toddy-fermented sannas and those made using the sap of the coconut palm.[2] Though both of them require rice, sannas are commonly made with coconut palm toddy, and sugar, unlike Idlis that are commonly made with urad dal.[3][4][5] They are made on various religious occasions such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Saunsar padvo/Yugadi and Makar Sankranti,[1] whereas Catholics prepare them during church feasts. Sometimes a sweet version is made with jaggery, known as godachi sanna (Konkani: ΰ€ोΰ€‘ाΰ€ी ΰ€Έाΰ€¨्ΰ€¨ां, goddachee sanna).[6]
Mangalorean Catholic Cuisine is incomplete without sannas. They are a much-loved bread served with pork bafat, a spicy pork dish prepared with a medley of powdered spices. Sannas are also served alongside chicken or mutton curries, or can be eaten for breakfast with coconut chutney or sambhar, or with coconut milk sweetened with jaggery and flavoured with cardamom.
In modern times toddy-fermented sannas are rarely made. Instead, the batter can be leavened with yeast.
9) Feni
Feni (sometimes spelled fenno or fenim or fenny) is a spirit produced in Goa, India. The two most popular types of feni are cashew feni and toddy palm feni, depending on the original ingredient; however, many other varieties are sold. The small-batch distillation of feni has a fundamental effect on its final character, which still retains some of the delicate aromatics, congeners and flavour elements of the juice from which it was produced.
The word feni is derived from the Sanskrit word phena ("froth"); this is thought to be because of the bubbles that form a light froth when the liquor is shaken in a bottle or poured into a glass. It is generally accepted that coconut feni was produced before and then followed to adapt the same procedure for distilling the exotic cashew fruit. Coconut palms are abundant along the coastline of Western India and Goa, whereas the cashew tree was an exotic species brought by the Portuguese from Brazil to India. There is ambiguity about when and who started distilling fermented juice into a spirit.
The feni consumed in South Goa is generally of higher alcohol content (43-45% abv) as compared to the feni produced in North Goa. Commercially packaged feni is available at 42.8% abv.
Preparation
Cashew feni (kaju feni)
Cashew apples being squashed in Chorao, Goa
Fermented cashew fruit juice being transferred into pots for distillation.
In the traditional method of making cashew feni, only tree-ripened cashew apples that have fallen are picked and taken for the crush. The cashew apples are de-seeded and then dropped into the stomping area. This area is called a "colmbi" and is usually a rock cut into a basin shape. The cashew apples are stomped to release the juice. Stomping has now gradually been replaced by the use of a press called a pingre (cage). The pulp is then hand-patted into small mounds traditionally using a particular vine, nudi, which is snaked around it to hold it together while a heavyweight (typically a boulder) is placed on top. The juice produced through this second extraction process is known as neero, and is refreshing to drink; however, it is not used in the fermentation process generally for making feni. The first juice extract, obtained by stomping cashew apples, is transferred traditionally in a large earthen pot called a kodem, which is buried halfway in the ground and left while the juice ferments for several days. Delicate earthen kodem have now been replaced by plastic drums for the sake of practicality. The juice is then allowed to sit for three days as it ferments. No artificial yeast or nutrients are added to hasten the process.
Cashew feni is distilled employing the traditional pot, which is still practiced. A traditional still for feni is still known as a bhatti. The use of an earthen pot as the boiling pot has now been replaced with copper pots, both known by the same name, bhann. The distillate is collected in an earthen pot called a launni. The tradition of cold water being continuously poured on the launni to condense the distillate has now been replaced by immersing a coil in cold water.
Cashew feni is a triple-distilled spirit. The first distillate of the fermented neero is known as urrack, about 15% alcohol (30 proof). Urrack is then mixed with neero in a proportion determined by the distiller, and redistilled to give a spirit called "cazulo" or "cajulo" (40-42% abv). Cazulo or cajulo is again distilled with urrack to give a high-strength spirit called feni (45% abv). Note that cazulo is generally sold as "feni", as the spirit is considered too strong of an alcoholic beverage for consumption. All cashew feni now available is double-distilled.
10) Solkadhi
Solkadhi is a type of drink, an appetizer originating from the Indian subcontinent, usually eaten with rice or sometimes drunk after or along with the meals. Popular in Goa and the Maharashtra's coastal region, it is made from coconut milk and kokum, also known as Aamsol or Aamsul. It is the dried fleshy skin of a fruit called Garcinia indica, 'ratambe' in marathi, deep purple-pink in color, full of antioxidants that the pigment anthocyanins provide[citation needed]. Garcinia indica, or Kokum, owing to the presence of a high concentration of anthocyanins, is a great antioxidant that works like an anticarcinogenic and anti-aging agent. It is known for its digestive, refreshing, cleansing and cooling properties. It is a summer fruit. The fruit is deseeded and the juice extract and the skin is mixed with salt and sun dried. The salty sour deep pink color juice extract is known as 'agal' and it used to marinate fish. Agal mixed with sugar, cumin powder and water makes kokum sherbet. The dried salty sour black color skin is kokum. The dried seeds are used for oil extraction which has medicinal use. Solkadhi is prepared with liquid extract of fresh coconut known as coconut milk; however, nowadays you can also get this extracted milk in TetraPak. The coconut milk so obtained is usually mixed with agal or kokum, a little bit of salt, mustard seeds and/or chili-garlic paste is added for taste and enhancing the probiotic contents.[1]
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