http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/12/30/lifetravel/16419311&sec=lifetravel Goa Grub
"We Goans are very serious about five things in our lives – our fish, curry and rice; afternoon siesta; music; soccer and feni," says my guide Jonah Coutinho. Every April and May, a sweet scent of fermenting cashew nuts wafts across Goa's countryside. The locals are extremely fond of feni, a clear, crisp spirit made from coconut or cashew. Goans harvest the nuts in March where the fruits are crushed to obtain the juice, which is then left to ferment. The liquid is cooked and distilled in large earthenware pots over firewood. Only the third or fourth distillation yields the perfect feni that contains 40 to 50% of pure alcohol. Goans like Tomas Fernando, whom I met at a wine shop in Panjim, insist that pure feni is as fine as French wines or single malt whiskies. "We're proud of our drink; it's available everywhere especially for celebrations and feasts," he says. He recommends drinking it with some lime and a pinch of salt. "Some people say it smells like rocket fuel. But I don't think many people have smelled rocket fuel before," says Coutinho. Feni is sold in large glass bottles or cute palm-sized ones coated with sand, shells and decorative cashew nuts. There are also delicious Goan desserts such as a decadent layer cake rich with egg yolk called Bebinca. Sweets are laden with coconut like Batika cake and Pattoyos, a steamed confection of coconut and dark palm sugar. Scottish missionary Edward Aitken wrote in 1889 that Goans... "while they carry through the world patronymics which breathe of conquest and discovery, they devote their energies rather to the violin and the art of cookery". As the birthplace of the original vindaloo, Goan cuisine has travelled around the world today. I had a version of vindaloo in a little café in Macau, a sweet-sour concoction served with sliced pineapples; and a rich curried version at an Indian friend's home for Christmas. Goa's traditional cuisine of Saraswat dishes typical to the Konkan region has been richly influenced by the Portuguese rule over four centuries. Vindaloo stems from the Portuguese word Vinha d' Alho, originally pork with wine, garlic and vinegar. The Portuguese brought along pineapples, cashews, olive oil, wines and garlic sausages from Iberia, which has evolved into a Goan version called Chourico, delicious spiced pork sausages. "Our daily staple is simply fish-curry-rice," says Coutinho. "We eat chicken once weekly and pork and lamb perhaps 10 times a year. We're practical; we prefer three jumbo prawns rather than lobsters." – By Chin Mui Yoon -- DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England
