Cashew plants are usually grown from seeds. They begin bearing the second year, are in full production by the 10th year, and continue bearing for another 20 years. The yield varies from 1 to 100 pounds per tree. Cashew fruit ripens in 2 to 3 months and is harvested from the tree or picked up soon after falling.
Cashew fruit contain a potent skin irritant toxin called ‘urushiol’ within the dark green nut shells. This must be removed when the seed inside is processed for consumption; this is done by hulling the nuts, a somewhat hazardous process. Exceedingly painful skin burns (similar to poison ivy burns) among processing workers are frequent.
In the past, cashew fruit juice was used to treat influenza, and people also brewed a tea of leaves and bark to treat diarrhea and colic in infants.
Caju is one of the best fruits that I like during the summer. There are many types of “caju” – “vhoddle caju” (large cashew), “lhan caju” (small cashew), “holdulle caju” (yellow cashew), “tambdde caju” (red cashew), “rosall caju” (juicy cashew), “dikalle caju,” etc. A ripe cashew plucked from a tree tastes the best. I can never resist the temptation of plucking a good, ripe cashew from a tree. Whenever I travel by motorbike or car while on vacation in Goa, my eyesight is always set on the roadside cashew trees. As soon as I see a ripe cashew on a tree, I stop my motorbike or if traveling by car I ask the driver to stop the car and proceed to the tree. If the cashew is on a lower branch, I try to pluck it by bending the branch. If it is on a high branch, I pick up a stone, aim at it and am mostly able to bring it down with the first hit, which not only makes me feel good but also takes me back to my childhood. If I don’t succeed in bringing down the cashew within a couple of attempts, I climb the trunk and shake the branch, collect the cashew, wash it with water, hold the cashew by its seed, bite off the stem area and throw it out and place the whole cashew (depending on its size) into my mouth, at the same time twisting and removing the seed and making sure that juice does not run out of my mouth and fall on my clothes as once it dries it creates stains which cannot easily be removed. Although we have cashew trees on our hilly plot, the norm in childhood was to steal from a neighbor's compound. That created an adventure for us and we enjoyed it very much. The best time to eat cashews is early in the morning from dawn until 9:00 a.m., after which time they become hot and not so pleasant to eat.
RAW CASHEW SEEDS (FOKAM)
Besides cashew seeds, which is a great business in Goa, we also have “FOKAM or BIBE” (raw cashew seeds.) As children we ate a lot of fokam, especially those who had cashew trees of their own. Whenever we were hungry, we would visit our properties or the hill, pick up fokam from unripe cashews on a tree and remove the inner kernel as follows:
Take two small dry sticks
Hold them in each hand
Place the “fok” (raw cashew seed) flat on the ground and remove the eye from the middle of the seed with a stick
Place the “fok” on the ground on its back and keep the big thumb of your right foot on its lower part
Make a gash in the middle on the upper tip of the fok
Hold a dry stick in each hand and place both sticks into the gash with cross hands
Apply pressure in opposite directions until the shell tears apart
Place the right hand stick under the kernel and lift it up
Keep aside removed seeds
Once through the lot, clean the seeds with a cloth and peel off the skin and enjoy eating them. Please keep in mind that “fokancho/bibeancho dik” (cardol) is very caustic – it even creates boils on the skin. In the olden days, the toxic oil from cashew nuts was used as external worm medicine to kill botfly larvae under the skin. The shell provides insect-repelling vesicant oil which in the olden days was applied to roof wood to protect it from white ants.
Speaking of the “bibeancho dik,” I remember an incident about a lady from Gaumvaddy, Anjuna. Many people use fokam to prepare “fokanchi/bibeanchi koddi” (curry of fokam) and this lady was one of them. Every afternoon she would climb the hill behind my house during lunch time between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. and return with a “sakachi pothi” (gunny bag) filled with “fokam,” which she would clean and then prepare a sumptuous curry for her family. Removing fokam is a big loss to the “cajkar” (the guy who hires the hill for a cashew crop) because it not only leaves cashew fruits in a half grown stage but also deprives him of cashew seeds. “Laddko cajkar” (the guy who hired Anjuna hill for a cashew crop) caught the lady many times and even beat her, but she wouldn’t give up the habit. They warned her that if they caught her again, they would make her life so miserable that she would find it difficult to live, but still she didn’t care. Here we had two adamant people - Laddko who was bent on protecting his crop, and the woman who thought it was her right to plunder Laddko of his cashew seed crop. One fine day, they caught the woman with a big haul of fokam, which obviously was a big loss for them. As promised, they stripped her naked and squeezed “bibeancho dik” on her body, including her private parts. It took her around a month to recover from the punishment, but I saw that shameless woman go up the hill soon after she recovered, or was it that she couldn’t live without eating fokam? Some people never learn!
Nowadays, many people sell fokam in villages and towns. They are sold in lots of 100. In the year 2002, I paid Rs.30 per 100 fokam; in 2003, I paid Rs.40.00 per 100 fokam and last year I paid Rs.50.00 per 100 fokam. I love to eat fokam and never return to the Gulf without eating them. The only difference now is that I pay for them, but they surely take me down the memory lane of my childhood.
The liquid contained within the shell casing of the cashew, known as Cashew Nutshell Liquid (CNSL) has a variety of industrial uses which were first developed in the 1930s. CNSL is fractionated in a process similar to the distillation of petroleum, and has two primary end products: solids which are pulverized and used as friction particles for brake linings, and an amber colored liquid which is aminated to create phenalkamine curing agents and resin modifiers. Phenalkamines are primarily used in epoxy coatings for the marine and flooring markets, as they have intense hydrophobic properties and are capable of remaining chemically active at low temperatures.
CASHEW SEEDS (CAJUNCHEO BIEO)
As children, we gathered as many cashew seeds as possible during cashew season, dried them thoroughly, and stored them in a “petrolacho/telacho dobo” (kerosene/oil tin) for use during the monsoon season. Whenever it rained continuously for two or three days or more, we could not step out of the house, as all roads would be flooded. So, this was the time we would make use of the provision of cashew seeds. The rainy season sometimes can be very boring, especially when one’s movement is restricted within the four walls of a house, but we had our ways to liven it up. Out of boredom I would ask myself: “Atam hanv kitem kortolom?” (What am I going to do now?) Suddenly, the idea of frying cashew seeds would cross my mind and I would say: “Atam hanv bieo baztolom” (I will fry cashew seeds now). Thus, my home cashew seed factory would begin. I had saved the belly (lower part) of a large “matiecho kovso” (clay pot) to which I had made three small holes at the bottom. I called it “Bieo bazpachi kail” (Seed frying pan). I would place approximately one hundred cashew seeds in the “kail”, put it on the “chul” and start a fire underneath. As the “kail” got heated, the seed coating would give out oil which would drip into the fire and make it flare up and gradually the seeds in the “kail” caught fire. I would then stir the seeds with a bamboo stick until they were done and then put out the fire with the help of sand which was kept ready in a small tin. If anyone happened to pass by my house at that time, he/she would immediately know that I was frying cashew seeds because of the aroma of smoke which exited the house through “ganvtti nolle” (old roof tiles.)
It was now time to break the coating and extract the kernel. I wouldn’t do this job for everyone. So, each one was given his/her share and I would keep my share as well as mother’s – this is the least I could do for my mother. After all, she did everything for me and this was the only opportunity when I could reciprocate a bit. Each person placed cashew seeds in a coconut shell and was ready to devour them. Everyone then cleaned his/her hands and began to peel and eat the seeds. Mother would prepare and serve us a cup of hot tea. We would then talk over tea and enjoy the seeds. Believe me, the taste of cashew seeds during the monsoon season is totally different from the taste in the summer, and the cold weather outside really makes one enjoy them!
Cashew seeds are a common ingredient in Goan cooking. For example, there are dishes such as chicken with cashews, biryani with cashews, dodol with cashews, halva with cashews, etc. In fact, nowadays you can buy broken cashew seeds which are a little cheaper than whole seeds and which are meant for use in cooking. They can also be ground into a spread similar to peanut butter. Cashews have a very high oil content, and they are used in some other nut butters to add extra oil.
CASHEW SEED GAME (CAJUNCHEA BIEANCHO KHELL)
As children, during the summer season we would play a game with cashew seeds called “Cajunchea Bieancho Khell.” The number of players depended upon a circle of friends – the more the friends, the more the players. The game would mostly take place after we had been around on private properties or on the hill and collected a pocketful or two of cashew seeds. Here is how it was played:
After we had enough cashew seeds in our pockets, we would assemble on a road, gather mud with our hands and make a small “mer” (line) of mud. We would then plant cashew seeds on the line beginning with a large seed called “Sid’dha” (straight - actually everyone in those days called it “sud’dha”) which would be planted upright, followed by as many seeds as we wanted to wager which would be planted on their backs. The seed next to sid’dha was called “sid’dhachi bail” (sid’dha’s wife) and the remaining seeds were supposed to be children and family members. Once seeds were planted on the line, we would count about 8 steps (about 12 feet) from it and draw a line on the road with the right foot from where the contest would take place. While everyone stood on both sides of the line with planted seeds, the competitor would stand at the drawn line, hold a “biecho botto” (large cashew seed) firmly in his right hand, raise the arm to eye level to a distance of about a foot away from the right eye, make a fist with the left hand and place it under the right wrist in order to hold the right arm stable, close the left eye, take aim at the sid’dha just as you would at prey with a gun, and fire the shot at the line. Of course, one needed good aim to win the game. If he hit the sid’dha he would win the whole line of seeds; if he hit the sid’dhachi bail, he would win the whole line except the sid’dha; and if he hit a seed in the middle of the line, he would win all the seeds on the line from that seed. Many of us were excellent players. The excellent players mostly won big on the first shot while the remaining players won big only by fluke. Do you remember the good old saying “Bier nam zalear bottear?” It originated from this simple game of cashew seeds and it refers to those guys who hit the sid’dha by fluke! Obviously this game, too, sometimes resulted in quarrels and fights from defeated, disgruntled players.
We had a big botteachi caj in our compound. So, I would trade two or three small seeds for one botteachi bi depending on its size!
In a way, this game was a kind of gambling with the only difference being that we used cashew seeds instead of money. However, from the 1970’s onwards it did turn into a gambling game. Children used cashew seeds to play the game but the payment was made in money – the minimum wager per seed was 10 Naya Paise and the maximum was 25 Naya Paise.
GERMINATED CASHEW SEEDS (GODDAVLIM)
Unlike today, in the 1950’s and 1960’s the rains in Goa would start in the middle of the month of May but sometimes it would rain a few days earlier. As soon as the cashew season came to an end, it was a practice by us children to collect fallen cashew seeds which would be the last collection of the season. However, if it rained suddenly, we would miss that collection, but all was not lost as those cashew seeds which remained uncollected under the trees would germinate on the third or fourth day of the rainfall and turn into “goddavlim.” Whenever the rain subsided, we would visit our property and even the hill, as cajkars would all be gone by then, collect as many goddavlim as possible and feast on them. The goddavlim taste as good as fokam. It has been many years since I ate goddavlim and this is because I return to the Gulf before the start of the rainy season, and as we know the rainy season in the recent times begins sometimes as late as the end of June or even early July. Anyway, this is one of the things I look forward to enjoying as soon as I take my normal retirement. You are most welcome to join me in my adventure in Anjuna. Just like cashew seeds, fokam and goddavlim can also be served with drinks as “chakna” (appetizer.)
NIRA & URRAK
The “cajkar” and his workers gather cashew fruits from all over the hill in specially prepared bamboo baskets with a rope handle and dump them in a rock-carved basin. They arrange two wooden poles one on each side of the rock basin and fix a horizontal bamboo bar on it. Then they stand in the middle of the rock, place their hands on the bar and begin to press the cashew fruits with their feet which results in the extraction of cashew juice. The process is called “Caju mol’lunk” (Squeezing of cashew juice.” Once through the lot, they then step out of the basin and place large “lobram” (boulders) on the crushed cashew fruit. Clear cashew juice then slowly drips through an outlet made for this purpose and this is called “Nira.” It gives you a kick if taken in a large quantity. In the olden days, we would go to Laddko cajkar’s bhatti (distillery) on our hill and drink nira in a kotti (coconut shell). In the late 1950’s, the elderly in Gaumvaddy and I attended Fr. Freita’s funeral in Parra. Instead of going to Parra by road, we took a short cut through Anjuna/Parra hill. On our way back, we visited the cashew distillery which was housed in a “colvachi khomp” (a hut made of bamboo sticks and “kon’nam.” Laddko and his workers welcomed us with a big smile and said “Atanch ami borem dharechem urrak kaddlam; thoddem pieon polleiat nhum?” (We have just distilled good urrak; why don’t you try some? And pointing at me they said: “Baba, tum irlo niro chakon polle.” While one guy served me nira in a kotti, the others served urrak to the elderly also in kottis. My thirst was quenched and I was already feeling a little inebriated but didn’t refuse the offer every time they said “anik irlo pie baba, tanenk boro” (have a little more, it is good for thirst.) The trip via the hill was definitely better than the road trip!
The nira is further distilled and the first phase is called “poile dharechem urrak” (urrak of the first distillation) the strength of which is between 8-10o (eight to ten graő). “Dusre dharechem urrak” (urrak of the second distillation) is much stronger – 11-14o (eleven to fourteen graő). The third distillation results in a strong Caju Fenni which measures between15-21o (fifteen to twenty one graő.)
Just like gin, urrak is one of the best summer drinks in Goa. In the past, urrak drinkers did not buy urrak in bottles - they bought a “kovso or kovse” (pot or pots) and stored it at home for their daily use. As soon as Bomboikars landed in Goa, they would ask a resident relative or neighbor to buy a “kovso” of urrak for them, and their holiday spirits would soar as soon as they took possession of the kovso!
Good drinkers take the urrak neat but some prefer to mix it with a soft drink. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, many mixed urrak with Dr. Jack Sequeira’s FANTA and when it was discontinued they opted for LIMCA. One of the best ways to drink Urrak is as follows:
Pour some urrak in a small container Add 2-3 spoons sugar and stir it well Add the juice of one lime to the urrak Pour the mixture in a bottle and shake it well Keep the bottle in the refrigerator - serve it cool
If you have many drinkers, use a bucket to prepare the urrak mixture and remove and serve it with a ladle usually used by milkmen to remove milk from a container.
The intoxication of urrak takes place slowly. So, although you may have consumed a bottle of urrak at one sitting, you may not feel high but that does not mean that you won’t get intoxicated. There are two factors that give a faster kick – going out in the sun and exposing oneself to the breeze. For example, if you ride a motorcycle or drive a car with open windows, you may suddenly fall asleep and meet with an accident. As it is, never ride or drive when on drinks.
CASHEW FENNI (CAJUNCHI FENNI)
In Goa, two types of liquor are available – Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), and locally brewed Palm and Cashew Fenni. While the former is used throughout Goa, the latter is more famous in Bardez.
Just like urrak, cashew fenni tastes best when had neat. Most Goan farmers and laborers drink cashew fenni neat and mostly they finish a “kals” (cup) of fenni in one gulp, which is not the way to have a drink but if it suits them, fine! Generally, Goans are slow drinkers. To begin with, a good drinker may take as much as half an hour to drink a neat or diluted peg of cashew fenni. He, however, picks up pace as he continues to drink and may, at a later stage, refill his glass every 15 minutes or less, depending on his capacity to drink. The middle class and elite Goans also drink cashew fenni neat, but many prefer to dilute it with water, soda or a soft drink. In the 1960’s and 1970’s many used Dr. Jack Sequeira’s Coca Cola to dilute cashew fenni. A good cashew fenni drinker always likes to find out the quality of the fenni he is about to consume and he does it as follows:
He pours fenni in a glass and takes a small sip before it is mixed with anything. He leaves the sip on the tongue for a while and then gulps it down. This simple process enables him to comment on the quality of the fenni. If the fenni is adulterated, he feels the burning sensation travel down his throat and through the chest, thus confirming inferiority of the fenni. The other method to test the fenni is to dip the middle finger in a cup/glass of fenni (before it is mixed with anything,) light a match stick and set fire to the finger. If the fenni is strong and is of good quality, the finger immediately catches fire; if not, it won’t, thus proving that the fenni is weak and of inferior quality.
Just like brandy, cashew fenni is hot and produces heat in the body. It is in fact a winter/monsoon drink. For example, if you are drenched in the rain and take a shot of neat cashew fenni as soon as you enter the house/bar, it immediately creates heat in your body and makes you feel warm. Cashew fenni is like tequila; it tastes good when taken neat. The Mexicans go wild when they have a shot of tequila and begin to fire their revolver/gun at an opponent at the least provocation; Goans turn into tigers when they have a shot of fenni and think nobody can defy them while their partner (fenni) is with them! Many people drink cashew fenni during the summer and complain of unbearable heat and that’s because they keep on creating heat in their bodies! Cashew fenni is a beautiful drink but its odour is extremely strong. One can never deny having consumed cashew fenni. Not only that, if you are a regular cashew fenni drinker, even your clothes smell of the fenni!
In the 1950’s and 1960’s some doctors in Goa prescribed cashew fenni as a medicine. If anyone went to a doctor with low blood pressure, the doctor would immediately ask him if he drank liquor. If the answer was negative, he would not prescribe him medicine but would just ask him to take half a peg or a full peg (depending on the build of the person) of cashew fenni before meals – the result: Blood pressure would be normal within a day or two! Some doctors in Goa still prescribe cashew fenni as a medicine.
In the olden days, the cashew fenni was also used as a treatment for colds. Whenever one had a bad chest cold, the parents or the elderly would give him/her “Ulpailolo Cajuncho soro” (burnt cashew fenni) as per the following process:
They would pour a kals (cup) or two of cashew fenni in a vattli (brass plate), add a tablespoon or two of sugar and stir it until it was dissolved. They would then crush pepper seeds on a “fatorn” and spill the powder in the vattli. A match stick would then be lit and fire set to the fenni in the vattli - since the fenni then was of good quality, it never failed to catch fire. The fenni was left to boil and burn until it was reduced to half its original quantity. We would then extinguish the fire, place our face close to the vattli and inhale the hot vapor through nose. We would then take a teaspoon and enjoy every bit of the processed fenni medicine. We would repeat the process for two or three nights and, believe me, the chest cold would be gone by then. I still use this formula whenever I have a bad chest cold when home on vacation.
In the olden days, a bad cold was also treated with a mixture of cashew fenni and egg called “tantiachem massad” which was prepared as follows:
Break an egg and separate the albumen from the yolk. Place the yolk in a bowl, add a tablespoon sugar and beat it until it turns thin. Then add half or a full peg of cashew fenni, mix it well and drink it just as you would have a drink. Continue the massad for three days, and your cold is bound to disappear. The massad is to be taken early in the morning before you brush your teeth!
During childhood, falling down and getting bruised is a daily affair. Nowadays, parents rush to a doctor or a hospital if children fall down and suffer minor injuries. In the olden days, cashew fenni was used as a first aid whenever wounds were inflicted, and some people still use it. Simply pour a little fenni in a cup, add a teaspoon of salt and pour the solution over the wound. It burns for a while but it acts as a fast cure.
Many drinkers need just an excuse to drink fenni. Sometimes the injury may be slight but the victim dramatizes to make it seem a serious case and asks for a fenni bottle to be brought in as first aid. The moment the bottle arrives he begins to gulp it down making everyone wonder the purpose of the first aid. If asked, he replies: “Soro taiantlean ghatlear ghaian pavta.” Roughly translated, it means when the liquor is placed in the throat it reaches the wound! Isn’t it the shortest short cut to a remedy? In the past whenever serious injuries took place and if the patient could not tolerate the pain, the public would say “taka ungri laiat re” (put him on anesthesia.) Once he was placed on ungri - given cashew fenni by mouth – the groaning and moaning would die down! Many a times, the injury is indeed serious but if the patient has already consumed a lot of cashew fenni, he surely does not need any anesthesia - he is already on one!
In Goa, whenever St. John’s feast takes place, a newly wedded groom is required to give one bottle each of cashew and madd fenni plus fruits like mangoes, jackfruit, pineapple, etc., as an offering to the group of people who visit each house to jump in the well to celebrate St. John’s leap in his mother’s, Elizabeth’s womb, when Mary visited her after she conceived Jesus.
Even infants in Goa are given the taste of cashew fenni. In fact, in the olden days, the parents or godparents would dip a finger in cashew fenni kals and place it on an infant’s tongue and everyone around would enjoy the child’s bitter cries.
Drinking is one of the best things in life provided it is done within limits. It is the drinker who has to control the drinks. The moment he/she lets the drinks control him/her, he/she is as good as finished. We know very well that anything that is done in excess is bad for health and cashew fenni is not an exception. We also know about the forbidden fruit – you always want what you can’t have. Many small children in Goa sip beer from their parents’ glasses while at a party or a function and most Goan parents do not mind it. These very children lose the urge for beer as they grow up and gradually don’t even want to touch beer, let alone other drinks. However, there are some who never allow their children to touch beer even when they grow up and get employed, and they are the ones who get too curious and become victims of liquor. It pains me to mention here that I have come across many people who never touched a drink in their whole lives but once they did they succumbed to it. Let us keep in mind that it was the curiosity that killed the cat!
During our childhood, “dontanchem duens” (worm disease) was very common among children. Whenever we suffered from stomach griping, our parents did not take us to a doctor. They would first make us munch and eat “pericheo komreo ani jirem” (shoots of a guava tree and cumin seeds) in the morning and afternoon, and sometimes just “methi” (fenugreek seeds,) but if these medicines failed to produce results, they would give us a small shot of cashew fenni at night. In addition, they would crush garlic flakes on a “fatorn” mix them with cashew fenni and apply the mixture to the stomach. The consumption of fenni by mouth and its application on the outside of the stomach did the trick and we would be fine by the next morning.
Cashew fenni was also used to treat asthma. The grass on the hills begins to die in September/October and this is when monitor lizards come out of their dwellings and get caught by the hunters. Besides making use of monitor lizards’ skin for “gumttam & madhiim” and flesh to prepare xacuti, people used their blood for medicinal purposes as follows:
People who suffered from asthma bought monitor lizards from hunters, butchered them at home and collected blood in a container. They would immediately add cashew fenni to the blood, mix it thoroughly in the container and make the asthma patient drink it in a gulp. The process had to be repeated many times and, believe me, in those days many benefited from such treatment.
Here I remember one of the cashew fenni incidents that took place when I was about 12 years old. One of my friend’s family members had left for Salcete to attend a wedding leaving him alone at home. My friend who was also my age decided to celebrate that evening with cashew fenni but he consumed more than he could hold. When I visited him late in the evening, he had already vomited and the whole room smelled of cashew fenni. He told me how it had happened and I surely was very scared for him because he behaved as if he was going to die. So, I went and called the voizinn maim who came and checked him and said “bhienakai, taka thondd moddxi zalea” (don’t worry, he is suffering from indigestion due to severe cold.) Having said this, she asked if there was any cashew fenni in the house. Thinking that she wanted to apply the fenni to his body, I brought the bottle and gave it to her. She applied it to his back, ribs and stomach but she also filled a kals (cup), gave it to my friend and said “kals tondak lai ani ho soro pie ani titlean tuji thondd moddxi kabar zateli.” (Have this cup of fenni and that should take care of your pneumonia.) My friend’s eyes propped out and he looked at me as if to ask “what shall I do?” He was already tight but we didn’t want to reveal the fact to the voizinn fearing she might report it to his parents. Consuming more liquor would be like adding poison to his condition. Having no other alternative, he gulped down the contents of the kals and was flat within a short time. He again vomited after some time, at which the voizinn maim said “bhitor thondd aslem tem soglem bhair sorlem; atam bhirant nam” (all the cold from the inside has come out; there is no danger now!” Only the two of us knew what had happened and that it was not a case of pneumonia. Actually, as we know, it is difficult to hide cashew fenni smell from anyone, especially if somebody vomits after drinking cashew fenni, but the reason why the voizinn maim did not get the smell was because she herself had already consumed her daily cashew fenni quota just before she attended to my friend!
I grew up drinking cashew fenni and drank it until the early 1980’s. I don’t drink it now because I take my vacation in April/May and as I mentioned above, it is not a summer drink, but I drink urrak occasionally. The best thing that I still like to drink is “Nira.” During my last vacation, I made an arrangement with a woman from “Guddean,” Siolim, to bring me two liters of nira everyday. Our driver, who is from Tivim, would pick up nira bottles from the woman in the Mapusa market on his way to Anjuna. The nira was of very good quality and this was proved by the following fact: The bottle was kept in the refrigerator. Somebody noticed the lid was loose so it was tightened. When I opened the lid of the bottle, the contents shot out like champagne! I hardly got half a glass of nira out of the one liter bottle!
In the olden days, we got good quality cashew fenni from the Anjuna, Parra and Siolim hill distilleries but it is not so any longer. However, we still get good quality “urrak” and cashew fenni from “Morje” (Morjim), “Hormola” (Arambol) and probably the best urrak and cashew fenni comes from “Terefola” (Tiracol). In fact, the women from Terefola, Hormola and Morje have been bringing urrak and cashew fenni from these places to Anjuna since the 1950’s and they continue to do so till today. The only difference then and now is the transportation. Can you imagine a woman carrying a “matiecho kovso” (earthern pot) of fenni from Tiracol and walking her way to Anjuna?
Speaking of Tiracol, I had visited the place and the fort there in the 1960’s. Last vacation, I decided to visit it again. We traveled from Anjuna to Morjim by crossing the new bridge, and then we traveled by the shore crossing first Morjim beach, then Arambol beach, followed by Querim and finally Tiracol beach and the fort.
Whatever wild fruits I had missed on the Anjuna hill, I was able to get them from the hills of Morjim, Arambol, Querim and Tiracol. While we traveled, every now and then the aroma of a cashew distillery captured my attention and I visited a few in order to get Nira but in vain because Nira is available only in the late evening. While we waited to cross the ferry from Querim to Tiracol, we saw fishermen cast their nets in the river and catch good fishes. You can buy fish from them and give it to small restaurants there and ask them to prepare it for you by the time you return from Tiracol. We were about to do that but a big group of people got to them before we could and they bought all the fish from them and gave it to a restaurant for preparation.
The Tiracol fort today is completely different from the one I saw in the sixties. It is now totally renovated and is given on hire to an entrepreneur to run as a 5-Star hotel. The charges are Rs.4,500.00+ for a double room. They have a good restaurant but I always prefer to go to an inexpensive hotel because it is there that you find the real Goan cuisine. So, we came down the hill and entered one of the shacks on our way to the ferry. We gave our order for seafood – fish curry and rice, fresh salad and special dishes of tiger prawns, whole fried chonnkul, xinanneo, and stuffed Bangdda. While we waited for the food, my family and nephew ordered soft drinks for themselves and I ordered Urrak with Limca for me. I tasted the urrak before mixing it with Limca and believe me the stuff was pure! I finally had good urrak after a long time. I wouldn’t have gotten this quality of urrak in a 5-Star hotel at the Tiracol fort even if it was available there. Actually, pure urrak and fenny is exported from the above mentioned places to other parts of Goa but the retailers adulterate them.
The main cashew crop season in Goa is from March to May and it also happens to be the season for Kannt’tam and Churnam. Therefore, whenever we went for Kannt’tam and Churnam on the hill, we would sometimes be raided by cajkars. They would stop us and check our bags to make sure that we did not steal any cashew seeds.
CASHEW LEAVES (CAJICHIM PANAM)
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, most people did not use toothbrushes and paste. The only toothbrush-cum-paste that was easily and abundantly available was natural leaves. Nowadays, three types of brushes are available for sale – hard, medium and soft. We, too, mainly had three types of leaves which corresponded with the present types of brushes and which are as follows:
Hard brush – Mango tree leaf Medium brush – Cashew tree leaf Soft brush – Guava tree leaf
Since my house is located at the foot of a hill, I was privileged to have all three types of brush-cum-pastes in our compound and I would make use of each one of them every alternate day but I mostly used cashew tree leaves which I considered as a medium brush. I would pluck one of the leaves from the tree, fold it in the middle, remove the stem, turn it into a roll and brush my teeth until the roll was worn out. I did not buy any toothbrush or paste until the age of 14. Do I regret it? Not at all! By the grace of God, my 32 teeth are still intact without a speck, thanks to the presence of chlorophyll in leaves which helped people of my generation maintain their teeth without much problem.
CASHEW LEAF PLATES (CAJICHEA PANANCHEO BOXEO)
Cashew leaves are also used as “Protralleo” - the oldest form of plates used by Goans since time immemorial, and they are still in use with the Hindu community in Goa; they use them to serve food at every religious ceremony as well as at wedding functions. During our childhood, we saw many Hindus sit and weave these plates as they were much in demand then. Potralleo makers would go up the hill, pluck fresh leaves from cashew trees, place them in a gunny bag and bring them home. They would then dip them in a container of water to wash away the dirt and begin to fasten them together with pieces of “ir” (hard part of stalk of palm leaf.) Nowadays, we use disposable paper plates but in those days, everyone used potralleo which were also disposable; they were sold by the hundreds. As far as Christians are concerned, and as far as my knowledge goes, potralleo were used and are still used for “bhikareanchea jevnnank” (a meal offered for beggars) which takes place one week prior to a wedding ceremony.
MONSOON PROVISION OF DRY CASHEW LEAVES (CAJICHEA SUKEA FOLIEANCHO PAVSAK BONDABOST)
In the past, people had to make all sorts of provisions to survive the monsoon season and “sukeo cajicheo folieo” (dry cashew leaves) was one of them. In the beginning of May, people would gather dry cashew leaves and fill them in a “zabl’lo” (a large expandable net type bag made of coir,) and store the “zabl’le” in a firewood store. People preferred cashew leaves as a monsoon provision because of their flatness – it enabled them to pack more leaves in layers in a zabl’lo. Cashew leaves also catch fire easily and produce a strong fire. During the monsoon, as soon as people woke up, they would go to the firewood store, take a handful of “folieo,” place them in the “chul” and light them with a match stick. As soon as the leaves caught fire, some “xirput’tam” would be added and that would get the fire going.
Having a house at the foot of a hill is good as well as bad. Good because you are surrounded by nature and bad because you have too many things to do in preparation of the monsoon season. Since my house is at the foot of a hill, one of the yearly jobs that we were required to do was to clear fallen dry leaves mostly from cashew trees from a deep “vhall” (gutter) about 8 feet high and more than 150 meters long. If we didn’t clear the leaves, the rain water would carry them and block the passage at the little bridge under the road resulting in clogging and collapse of the property wall. The bridge was rebuilt in 1970 and now has a wider opening underneath which allows folieo to pass through it easily. We would mostly stand on the walls of the gutter with our feet apart and gather leaves with a “dantro” (rake) or make use of a solid bamboo stick to push the layers of leaves. We would be bitten every now and then by “umle” (red-ants.) We had to be courageous as we had to face all types of “pali” (small lizards,) “xirle” (chameleons) “vinchu” (scorpions,) “vagonni” (centipedes,) “kottarli” (millipedes,) “vanni” (spiders) and “sorop” (snakes) which we did not kill but allowed them to escape. I mostly made use of gumboots when at this job in order to avoid any accidental bites. We were rewarded for the job. We would find lots of fallen cashew seeds but the best find was “kansov” (tortoise.) We would find many of both types – “tupo kansov” (the ones that usually live in water) ani “zod’do kansov” (wild tortoise.) We would make good xacuti of “tupe kansov” with plenty of “katlecheo tepxeo” (coconut bits) in it and distribute “zod’de kansov” to those who ate them. We would fill several zabl’le with dry cashew leaves and transport them to our fields through a hired person who would empty each zabl’lo in the middle of a “fod’d” (one of many squares prepared in the fields.) Even I carried zabl’le filled with leaves to our field; there is so shame in doing such work! At the end of the day, we would go to the field and set fire to dry leaves. People who followed this process reaped a better paddy harvest than the others. So, it was worth the trouble!
GUM FROM CASHEW TREE (CAJICHEM GONDD)
During our childhood, most everything was obtained through natural methods and gum was not an exception. We needed a lot of gum for our craft work, etc., at school. The gum bought from Messrs. Bhobe or Coulekar Bookstores in Mapusa cost money but it was not very effective. So, we would make our own gum. Although gum was available from many types of trees, the best gum came from cashew trees. The gum usually oozes from the cracks on a trunk of a tree, dries up and hangs on the bark like molten wax. We would gather sufficient strips of dried gum from cashew trees, bring them home, break them into pieces, place them into an empty ink pot or any other empty bottle, add water and leave it there for at least two days and voila - within 48 hours we would have the best homemade gum which was much better than readymade! Once a year, we would prepare large quantities of cashew gum in the middle of December in order to use it to make Christmas stars.
CAJINIM VO CAJI PONDAK MOG (LOVE IN CASHEW TREES OR LOVE UNDER A CASHEW TREE)
Nowadays falling in love is so common that even small school going children have boyfriends and girlfriends which was not the case in the 1950’s and 1960’s. I am not saying people didn’t fall in love then but it was not as easy as it is today. Each one’s home was a paradise for himself/herself – everything revolved around homes and neighbors. So, obviously, even lovers mostly happened to be neighbors. It is very important for lovers to meet each other as often as they can but since in those days there was hardly any transportation available, it was almost impossible for them to travel and meet beyond the perimeter of their neighborhood. Thus, the question of dating hardly arose. To meet in a friend’s or relative’s house was not possible as the elders would not accept such behavior and would definitely report the meeting to parents “ani magir, zalo mogacho fog” (and then love turns into a fire!) Unlike today, there were hardly any hotels available where one could book a room and share some private moments away from the home crowd and neighbors. The only meeting place the lovers could think of then, was a hill where nobody would be around unless it was the cashew crop season. So, they would climb up the hill from two different directions and meet under a cashew tree. In those days such meetings came to be known as: “Cajinim mog vo caji pondak mog” (love in cashew trees or love under a cashew tree.”
Cashew tree wood is quite tough but it is of no commercial use due to its limited growth. It is however used as firewood. Because of its toughness it burns slowly and produces a strong fire. In the olden days “cajichim xirput’tam” (dried branches of a cashew tree) were preferred over xirput’tam from other trees for daily firewood, especially during the monsoon.
We have lost many of our cashew trees since I have been away in the Gulf. I intend to replenish them as soon as I leave this place for good. It is one of those retirement projects waiting for me to be carried out!
That’s all for now from Dom’s antique shelf!
Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
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