Goan cuisine explained

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, bread, pork and local spices are some of the main ingredients in Goan cuisine. Use of kokum and vinegar is another distinct feature. Goan food is considered incomplete without fish.

The cuisine of Goa originated from its Konkani roots, and was influenced by the 451 years of Portuguese rule and the Sultanate 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.

Seafood

The cuisine of Goan people is mostly seafood-based; the staple foods are rice and fish. Kingfish (Visvonn विस्वण or Isvonn इस्वण) is one of the most commonly eaten varieties of fish. Other fish varieties include pomfret, shark, tuna, sardines, and mackerel. Among the shellfish are crabs, prawns, tiger prawns, lobster, squid, and mussels. The cuisine of Goan Catholics is heavily influenced by Portuguese cuisine. The use of vinegar, for example, is very prominent, specifically toddy vinegar, which is made from coconut sap that is retrieved from stems, and is then left to ferment for four to six months.^[2]

Introduction of new foods

The Portuguese introduced cashew nuts, pineapples, guavas, potatoes, and tomatoes from Latin America to Goa, and consequently the rest of India. Chillies are the most important aspect of Goan cuisine; it was introduced by the Portuguese and became immensely popular as a very important spice for wider Indian cuisine. One of Goa's beloved dishes is called Sorpotel, which is made from pork.

Goan Hindu cuisine

Goan Hindu cuisine in Goa is mainly pescetarian and lacto-vegetarian and is very similar to Saraswat cuisine, from which it originates. Goan Hindu cuisine is mild, with use of tamarind and kokum for souring, and jaggery for sweetening. It uses spices such as asafoetida, fenugreek, curry leaves, mustard, and urad dal. Onion and garlic are also used. It also includes vegetables, such as lentils, pumpkins, gourds, bamboo shoots, and roots. The medium of cooking is coconut oil.

Popular Goan Hindu dishes include:

• Humann (हुमण) — Fish curry, also known as Kadī (कडी) or Āmbat (आंबट) with steamed rice (शीत/भात),
• Fried fish (तळील्लें नूस्तें)
• Fish Suke (सुकें नूस्तें) or Dhabdhabit — Dry spicy preparation of fish, served as a side dish
• Fish udid methi/uddamethi (उद्दमेथी) — Type of curry consisting of fenugreek and mackerel; a vegetarian version of this dish is also prepared using hog plums (or anything sour and tangy, such as pieces of raw mango)
• Kismur (किस्मुर) — A type of side dish normally consisting of dried fish (mostly mackerel or shrimp), onions, and coconut
• Dangar (डांगर) — Goan fish cutlets
• Kalputi — A dish normally prepared from the head of a large fish, with onions and coconut
• Bhājī/Shāk (भाजी/शाक) — A generic term for stews, curries, and stir-fried dishes made from different vegetables and fruits
• Bhaji — Fried fritters with besan batter. Different kind of bhajis can be made by changing the vegetable used with besan. Popular bhajis include those containing onion or chilies.
• Khatkhate (ख़तखतें)
• Varan — A lentil preparation often made with coconut milk tempered with mustard, curry leaves, and chilies, served as an accompaniment to rice for the Naivedya, prepared during all Hindu festivals, and an integral part of wedding feasts.
• Tondāk (तोंडाक) — A dish with beans and cashews as the primary ingredients
• Different varieties of sweets made from rice and lentils, such as payasu, patoli, and . (गोड्शें)
• Different varieties of pickles and papads (लोणचे आनी पापड)
• Solanchi kadi (सोलांची कडी) — A spicy coconut and kokum curry

Goan Catholic cuisine

See main article: Goan Catholic cuisine.

Goan Catholic cuisine in Goa is a fusion of Goan Hindu and Portuguese cooking styles. Vinegar (made from the toddy of local coconut trees) is used to give the zingy taste to the meat dishes.

Main dishes

Popular Goan Catholic dishes include:

• Ambott tîk — A spicy and sour curry prepared with fish.
• Jeerem-Meerem — A spicer, less sour version of the above.
• Balchanv (Balichão) — A pickled-curry made with prawns.
• Mol (Mole de Peixe) — A pickled-curry made with fish.
• Cafreal — A masala marinade mostly used for chicken or fish made from coriander leaves, green chilies, and other spices.
• Canja de galinha – A type of chicken broth served with rice and chicken.
• Chamuça — A Goan/Portuguese derivative of the samosa
• Choris (Chouriço) — A spicy pork sausage
• Croquettes — Fried minced beef rolls, a common snack among Goan Catholics and the Portuguese
• Feijoada — A stew brought by the Portuguese. It is made with meat (beef or pork), beans, and cabbage.
• Goan Soup
• Roast beef and beef tongue — Popular entrees at Goan celebrations
• Ros omelette — An omelette drowned in spicy chicken or chickpea gravy and served with pão (Luso-Goan bread)
• Samarachi koddi — Goan curry made with fresh and dried prawns
• Sanna – A moist spongy rice cake; a variant of idli
• Solantule kodi — A picquant coconut milk and kokum curry
• Sorpotel (Sarapatel) — A very spicy pork dish eaten with sannas or pão (Goan bread – spelled the same way as in Portugal)
• Vindalho — A spicy curry traditionally made with pork. The name is derived from the Portuguese term for ‘garlic’ and ‘wine’ (“vinho e alho” or “vinha d'alhos”) marinade. Contrary to popular versions made outside Goa, a traditional vindalho does not contain any meat besides pork. It also does not contain any potatoes nor is its name related to the Hindi word ‘āloo’ (potato).^[3]
• Xacuti (Shâgotî) — Type of curry made with roasted grated coconut and pieces of chicken or lamb.

Sweets and desserts

Sweets and desserts are known by their Konkani name, ‘Goddxem’. Popular dishes include:

• Arroz doce — A Portuguese sweetened rice custard.
• Bêbîk (Bebinca) — A multi-layered baked pudding traditionally eaten at Christmas.
• Cashew laddus
• nevryo-Sweet fried dumpling with filling made from grated coconut, sugar, poppy seeds, green cardamom, almonds
• khaje
  • sakharbhat -Rice with sugar and coconut
  • payasa
• halwa dali kapa (halwa made from red gram), cashew halwa, mango halwa, banana halwa, pumpkin halwa
• Dodol
• Bebinca
• Patoleo or patoli – A dish of turmeric leaves stuffed with rice, dal, jaggery, and coconut
• Serradura
• Kuswar
• Perada

See also

• Cucumber cake
• Feni
• Canja de Goa
• Urrak

Notes and References

1. News: Goa and its cuisine . The Times Of India . 3 April 2008.
2. Ihsan, Aqeel. "" The Graduate History Review 10, no. 1 (20 September 2021): 51.
3. Web site: Cricket News, Latest Cricket News Today, Live Cricket Score, Live Score Online Updates.