Eat , Drink And Make Merry !!!
Goa's 450 years under Portuguese rule has produced a unique blend of eastern and western cuisine that is at once exotic and strangely familiar: Christmas and Carnival are celebrated as enthusiastically by the 30-percent Christian minority as Diwali and Durga puja are by the mainly Konkani-speaking Hindus. The state's separate identity is perceptible in other ways too, most visibly in its Latin style architecture, but also in a preference for a fish-and-meat-rich cuisine. Another marked difference is the predominance of alcohol. Beer is cheap and six thousand or more bars around the state are licensed to serve it, along with the more traditional tipples of feni - the local hooch and toddy - a derivative of palm sap.
The various influences have made the Goan cuisine an interesting blend of tastes as a result of which it has a phenomenal repertoire of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Though the recipes and techniques of the two major communities – Hindu and Christian – are different but as a rule the cuisine that comes under the umbrella of Goan is simple but chilli hot and spicy. Traditionally the food is cooked on wood fires in clay pots that are fired by the village potter. Though in the modern times, quite a few Goans have had to leave their land in search of greener pastures, they still get homesick for the smoky flavor of the fish curry and rice that get their distinct taste being cooked in crowded sweaty, smoky kitchens in earthenware pots over wood fires.
Famous for its vast seafood resources, the Goan fish curry and rice can tickle the most demanding of taste buds. Come carnival time and the land is flush with color, food and drink and people make merry through the day and night. Colorful clothes and flowers vie with each other for attention. And the entire festivities end at the dinner table laden with delicacies.
The Morning Alarm !!!
The familiar ponk! Ponk! Sound of the Poder's horn at dawn forms as much a part of Goa as does this tiny state's numerous and unique customs, feasts and festivals.
In Konkani there is no difference drawn between the bread delivery man and the baker. They are both referred to as Poder.
The undo or pao came to be such an essential part of a Goan breafast that there came a time, towards the end of the Portuguese rule, when every village had its own local bakery.
The fine art of baking bread was brought to Goa by the European Missionaries. Goan bakers adapted it and added local ingredients to their bread giving it a very distinct Goan flavour. They used toddy instead of yeast for leavening.It is difficult to imagine a Goa without a Poder at the doorstep at the break of dawn.
Some Types of Goan Bread - Undo
Pao: Soft square one.
Pokshie: Round shaped with a slit in the middle and a crusty top.
Katre: same as above but with a diffrent shape.
Kankonn: A hard ring usually eaten dipped in black tea.
Poie: Brown bread, round shaped and hollow inside. Good for diabetic patients.
Goa's 450 years under Portuguese rule has produced a unique blend of eastern and western cuisine that is at once exotic and strangely familiar: Christmas and Carnival are celebrated as enthusiastically by the 30-percent Christian minority as Diwali and Durga puja are by the mainly Konkani-speaking Hindus. The state's separate identity is perceptible in other ways too, most visibly in its Latin style architecture, but also in a preference for a fish-and-meat-rich cuisine. Another marked difference is the predominance of alcohol. Beer is cheap and six thousand or more bars around the state are licensed to serve it, along with the more traditional tipples of feni - the local hooch and toddy - a derivative of palm sap.
The various influences have made the Goan cuisine an interesting blend of tastes as a result of which it has a phenomenal repertoire of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Though the recipes and techniques of the two major communities – Hindu and Christian – are different but as a rule the cuisine that comes under the umbrella of Goan is simple but chilli hot and spicy. Traditionally the food is cooked on wood fires in clay pots that are fired by the village potter. Though in the modern times, quite a few Goans have had to leave their land in search of greener pastures, they still get homesick for the smoky flavor of the fish curry and rice that get their distinct taste being cooked in crowded sweaty, smoky kitchens in earthenware pots over wood fires. Famous for its vast seafood resources, the Goan fish curry and rice can tickle the most demanding of taste buds. Come carnival time and the land is flush with color, food and drink and people make merry through the day and night. Colorful clothes and flowers vie with each other for attention. And the entire festivities end at the dinner table laden with delicacies.
The Morning Alarm !!!
The familiar ponk! Ponk! Sound of the Poder's horn at dawn forms as much a part of Goa as does this tiny state's numerous and unique customs, feasts and festivals. |
| Goan village podder |
The fine art of baking bread was brought to Goa by the European Missionaries. Goan bakers adapted it and added local ingredients to their bread giving it a very distinct Goan flavour. They used toddy instead of yeast for leavening.It is difficult to imagine a Goa without a Poder at the doorstep at the break of dawn.
Some Types of Goan Bread - Undo
Pao: Soft square one.
Pokshie: Round shaped with a slit in the middle and a crusty top.
Katre: same as above but with a diffrent shape.
Kankonn: A hard ring usually eaten dipped in black tea.
Poie: Brown bread, round shaped and hollow inside. Good for diabetic patients.
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