“Hello Sir! O Bhai Sa’ab!
Yes sir, yourself. You don’t look as if you belong to the hereabouts. Are you a
tourist?”
”Yes. Can I help you?”
“Ha! I was going to ask you the same question. Where are you from, good friend?”
“Odisha.”
“Aah! The land of the temples, fish and anti-bongs. Perfect. Who better than an Odia to give food advice to, eh?”
“Food advice, huh? I’ll take it only if it is good and it is free”
“The best advice you’ll get around here and for a fellow fish-lover, it definitely is free.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
“Before we start, I have to know, are you vegetarian?”
“God no! In fact, I have come with a mind to try out some beef and pork dishes too!”
“Excellent! Let us begin then. First, you have to understand that Goan cuisine has been influenced by the large number of cultures, mainly by the Portuguese and the Konkani people who have lived here since a very long time. The most popular dishes of the cuisine therefore are a mixture of both Hindu and Christian food.”
“Sounds interesting already. Go on.”
“Okay, so let’s start with the appetizers. With a variety of stuffed papad and crunchies, you can definitely start your meal on a good note. They are often stuffed with mashed prawns, and taste delicious. Otherwise, if you want to start off with a heavy dish, you can try empadas which are small pork pies or even stuffed sardine. For your newly acquired taste for beef, do try Beef Rissole, which is basically minced meat rolled in bread crumbs and then deep fired.”
“Beef Rissole. Got it.”
“Good. Now for the main course. Here you come across a huge variety of choices. I’ll tell you about the most popular items. In fish dishes, the Goan Fish curry is unmatched. Typical of this place, it is known for its sour-spicy taste. The fruit ‘kokum’ is attributed for the sour taste and is definitely the most widely used fruit used around Goa. Next on the list is Fish Recheado or stuffed fish. This is a Portuguese dish, normally consisting of a whole pomfret or mackerel fish, slit in the middle and stuffed with the fiery-red Recheado masala, which is made of Kashmiri chillies, and other spices and ground to a paste using vinegar. A lip-smacking paste indeed.
Moving on to prawns. The famous local prawn dish is the Prawn Balchao, again a Portuguese dish. It is actually prawns cooked in a red tangy sauce, the paste for which is made of dried shrimp, Konkani spices and feni. I think that’s enough with the seafood, what say we move on to the pork dishes?”
“Definitely. My mouth is watering already.”
“Okay. You must have heard of the most famous pork dish here in Goa, Pork Vindaloo. It is a spicy concoction, lots of red chilies, garlic, cooked with chunks of pork and Goan vinegar. Apart from vindaloo, there is the Sorpotel. It is a dish in which pork is diced and cooked in a thick and very spicy paste, of which vinegar is the most important ingredient. Apart from these dishes Chouricos or Goan sausages are also very popular and tasty here.
These dishes are the typical local dishes of Goa. Apart from these you must try Kalamari or squids and Xacuti dishes. Xacuti preparation exists in everything: Crabs, vegetables, fish, chicken all of them. It is made from plenty of spices and has a unique taste, not always liked by all.”
“And for the best part? The dessert?”
“The typical Odia question, eh? Don’t worry, we possess probably the most fantastic dish under the dessert menu. Enter, bebinca. Made of layer upon layer of coconut pancakes, this is the perfect end to any meal. Each layer is baked individually, and 16 such layers are brought together to make the dish. Do eat it with vanilla ice cream, it is the best combination the Goan has come up with! And in the end to wash it all down, you have to try a glass of the locally brewed Feni. It is most famous and enjoyed by practically everyone. Only be a little careful when getting up, haha!”
“I will be. Any special place you want me to try?”
“You can try this new restaurant at Velsao beach: Anoshka restaurant. It’s pretty good.”
“Right. Thank you so much for your advice.”
“A pleasure, my friend. Go, enjoy your holiday, in the land of sun, sea and sand!”
”Yes. Can I help you?”
“Ha! I was going to ask you the same question. Where are you from, good friend?”
“Odisha.”
“Aah! The land of the temples, fish and anti-bongs. Perfect. Who better than an Odia to give food advice to, eh?”
“Food advice, huh? I’ll take it only if it is good and it is free”
“The best advice you’ll get around here and for a fellow fish-lover, it definitely is free.”
“Let’s hear it then.”
“Before we start, I have to know, are you vegetarian?”
“God no! In fact, I have come with a mind to try out some beef and pork dishes too!”
“Excellent! Let us begin then. First, you have to understand that Goan cuisine has been influenced by the large number of cultures, mainly by the Portuguese and the Konkani people who have lived here since a very long time. The most popular dishes of the cuisine therefore are a mixture of both Hindu and Christian food.”
“Sounds interesting already. Go on.”
“Okay, so let’s start with the appetizers. With a variety of stuffed papad and crunchies, you can definitely start your meal on a good note. They are often stuffed with mashed prawns, and taste delicious. Otherwise, if you want to start off with a heavy dish, you can try empadas which are small pork pies or even stuffed sardine. For your newly acquired taste for beef, do try Beef Rissole, which is basically minced meat rolled in bread crumbs and then deep fired.”
“Beef Rissole. Got it.”
“Good. Now for the main course. Here you come across a huge variety of choices. I’ll tell you about the most popular items. In fish dishes, the Goan Fish curry is unmatched. Typical of this place, it is known for its sour-spicy taste. The fruit ‘kokum’ is attributed for the sour taste and is definitely the most widely used fruit used around Goa. Next on the list is Fish Recheado or stuffed fish. This is a Portuguese dish, normally consisting of a whole pomfret or mackerel fish, slit in the middle and stuffed with the fiery-red Recheado masala, which is made of Kashmiri chillies, and other spices and ground to a paste using vinegar. A lip-smacking paste indeed.
Moving on to prawns. The famous local prawn dish is the Prawn Balchao, again a Portuguese dish. It is actually prawns cooked in a red tangy sauce, the paste for which is made of dried shrimp, Konkani spices and feni. I think that’s enough with the seafood, what say we move on to the pork dishes?”
“Definitely. My mouth is watering already.”
“Okay. You must have heard of the most famous pork dish here in Goa, Pork Vindaloo. It is a spicy concoction, lots of red chilies, garlic, cooked with chunks of pork and Goan vinegar. Apart from vindaloo, there is the Sorpotel. It is a dish in which pork is diced and cooked in a thick and very spicy paste, of which vinegar is the most important ingredient. Apart from these dishes Chouricos or Goan sausages are also very popular and tasty here.
These dishes are the typical local dishes of Goa. Apart from these you must try Kalamari or squids and Xacuti dishes. Xacuti preparation exists in everything: Crabs, vegetables, fish, chicken all of them. It is made from plenty of spices and has a unique taste, not always liked by all.”
“And for the best part? The dessert?”
“The typical Odia question, eh? Don’t worry, we possess probably the most fantastic dish under the dessert menu. Enter, bebinca. Made of layer upon layer of coconut pancakes, this is the perfect end to any meal. Each layer is baked individually, and 16 such layers are brought together to make the dish. Do eat it with vanilla ice cream, it is the best combination the Goan has come up with! And in the end to wash it all down, you have to try a glass of the locally brewed Feni. It is most famous and enjoyed by practically everyone. Only be a little careful when getting up, haha!”
“I will be. Any special place you want me to try?”
“You can try this new restaurant at Velsao beach: Anoshka restaurant. It’s pretty good.”
“Right. Thank you so much for your advice.”
“A pleasure, my friend. Go, enjoy your holiday, in the land of sun, sea and sand!”
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