As an expatriate, living in the environs of Washington DC in the USA, I often shopped at Hispanic (descendants of Spanish in the Americas) stores, where foods that I was familiar with from my Goan upbringing, could be found. This is where I would buy Cotmir, shredded fresh coconut, green chillies etc. etc.
At the meat counter, I would find a variety of sausages named Chorico or Linguico, which evoked memories of our Chorisao. They looked exactly like the Chorisao one finds vendors selling at the Friday Mapusa market. The Chorico and Linguico came from different South and Central American countries and so there was Mexican Chourico, Salvadorean Chorico, Honduran Chorico, Brazilian Chorico etc. I chose a half pound of Brazilian Chorico and a half pound of Salvadorean Chorico, hoping that they would approximate in taste what we find in Goa. No such luck. In comparison to our Goan Choricao these sausages were insipid. I tried doctoring them with lots of chillie paste and vinegar to give it some punch. Still no luck. While they obviously appealed to Brazilian and Salvadorean palates, there is nothing in my mind that compares even remotely to theGoan choricao. Even in Goa, the Choricao varies in taste according to the person who makes them.. I swear by the Choricao made by my late mother. I used to help her fill the links and dry them in the sun. She always used lean cuts of Pork, with just enough Fat to give it taste without overwhelming our arteries with Fat. Oh the memories ! Goans in the diaspora continue to crave Choricao. In the USA and Canada some intrepid individuals make Choricao which comes close to the taste that I remember of my late mother's Choricao. The ingredients - Western Pork, Chillies and Vinegar - will never replicate what is available in Goa. But it comes a close second. Who can complain ? Give me fried Choricao, eggs -sunnyside up- and Goencho pau for breakfast any day, but please dont tell my cardiologist.
