For decades in the West, Indian food was synonymous with Punjabi food: oily gunk peddled as ‘curry’ and tandoori chicken laced with bright red artificial colour. In recent times that perception has changed and items like ‘dosa’ have entered the Westerner’s lexicon. South Indian food is increasingly gaining currency, especially among those in the West adopting a more vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. It is generally recognized now that “Indian cuisine” (imprecise term that it is) is far more diverse and complex.
The same cannot be said for “Goan cuisine,” alas, which is still pigeonholed into the “fish-curry-rice-vindaloo-xacuti” slot, even by Goan writers who should know better. I was reminded of this misapprehension today when someone asked for recommendations on places where he could sample traditional Goan vegetarian. We Goans are, of course, justifiably proud of our legacy non-vegetarian cuisine. But there is an EQUALLY deep bench in the traditional Goan vegetarian (“shivraak”) genre that is seldom spoken of. The chief reason for this, I suspect, is that Goan vegetarian cuisine has not been ‘restaurant-ized.’ It mostly lives in Goan Hindu homes and in the temple kitchens. The full range is usually rolled out during festivals, religious ceremonies, and for wedding lunches (although you see philistines today including flied lice, noodles and Manchurian). Furthermore, the traditional cooks who were recruited for these occasions are now a vanishing breed. A hint of Goan vegetarian at lunchtime can be had in the cafés like Tato that serve the “veg thali.” But these establishments barely scratch the surface. For the real article you need to go to the temple villages around Ponda - Kavalem, Nageshi, Mangesh, etc. Many of these temples serve lunch at very reasonable prices, and there are ‘khanavals’ (eateries) nearby that offer home style meals featuring Goan vegetarian classics. Unfortunately, they have very little advertising or web presence. Rajan Parrikar