With Goa’s green hills covered with fruit bearing trees, one
fruit that takes the lead in the beginning of summer is the remarkable Cashew.
The aroma of ripened cashew fruits travels wide and the freshly plucked fruit
is juicy enough to quench thirst in the summer heat. The fruit is used for the
extraction of niro which is further distilled to Urrack and finally distilled
to feni. The first documented record of the consummation of a cashew seed was
in 1926. Now, with the rise in social media and awareness across the globe,
these local drinks are gaining international status.
Kevin Pinto from Tivim who is known by his Instagram handle
@wander_with_kevin, is a food blogger and content creator. He has been
promoting cashews farms and the produce through his different reels and videos.
“I started posting on Instagram around four years back and I used to visit
cashew farms but I found that it was not promoted that well and the interest
had completely vanished. There were small scale events being held annually and
gradually post Covid-19, which too stopped. For the last 2-3 years, I started
posting about the fruit, Urrack and Feni by visiting farms and showing how the
process works of creating these iconic beverages. Cashews are part of the
identity of Goa and Goans should be proud of it and be vocal about it. Through
social media promotions now Urrack and Feni has reached on a world map.
Tourists have also understood about the fruit and many look forward to
experiencing the drink,” says Kevin.
Urrack is a very versatile drink and people have their
choices were to consume it with Limca, Soda, water and mixing in different
ingredients. Ruben Rodrigues from Margao posts reels on how to make cocktails
with the local ingredients and Urrack was certainly his priority. “I call it
the ‘Kurkurit Goan Drink’ which contains 30ml cranberry juice, 30ml guava
juice, 30ml pineapple juice, 60ml Urrack, topped with Limca and served in a glass
rimmed with salt and a chilly. There is a whole new trend #urrackseason going
on in Goa and almost everyone is either enjoying urrack, making reels or are
curious about it. I have a friend, who is an actress who came down especially
from Bangalore to try the drink. She messaged me a month in advance. That is
the buzz created by influencers on social media about how it is made and how to
consume it. Urrack and Feni have been made for years but marketing of it by the
means of social media is also important,” says Ruben, whose Instagram handle is
@mr.kurkurit.
Siya Shirwaikar from Quepem besides showcasing the wonders
of the cashew fruits, went a step ahead and created a reel on the difference
between Niro, Urrack and Feni on her Instagram account @thatcheesygoan. “I have
been promoting cashews on my handle for only two years but the response is
amazing. I uploaded a video on March 3 just at the beining of the cashew season
and it have received seven million views. Feni is a Goan heritage drink and I
focus on authentic food and drinks on my page. Its good to keep it local as
many people can relate to it and reach out with queries and experience it
themselves in Goa,” says Siya, who completed her MBA and engineering and is now
into digital marketing.
One song that you will find in all these reels and videos
and even been played on the radio and television to promote Urrack is the
‘Urrack’ song by DnT, the band led by Denzil Pereira and Trisca Fernandes. The
song was out in 2021 and since then it is the theme song for anything to do
with Urrack. With its catchy beats and lyrics that are apt for the season, it
is quite irresistible not to add the song to the reel. “We only create content
oriented songs and it was shared on Facebook and Instagram. Since I live in Canacona,
I keep getting calls from friends and family enquiring about Urrack and Feni. I
decided to write a song on it but I didn’t know it would reach such a wide
audience. The song is tagged to almost 1000 reels all over the world. I am
currently working on another uptempo party song based on the Urrack which
should be out in a few days,” says Denzil. The song has over four and a half
lakh views on YouTube and is also featured in Francis de Tuem’s new tiatr,
‘Social Worker’.
Shekhar Satardekar from Ponda has been experimenting with
combining different flavours to Urrack and Feni. “I created ginger Urrack,
lemongrass Urrack around two years back but this year I added Cinnamon (tiki)
Urrack. It has received a good response. One can try Urrack with their choice
of drinks. Some prefer water, soda, limca and even coco-cola with their drink.
This year, my stock of Urrack will be available only till April end. There was
a shortage of cashew apples and it’s a summer drink so it’s best to be enjoyed
during that period,” says Shekhar.
The first ever Cashew Festival will be organised by Goa
Forest Development Corporation Ltd on DB Ground, Panjim and will feature two
days of workshops, entertainment and great food and drinks. The Cashew Festival
will be held on April 15 and 16 from 3 pm to 10 pm. The evening of April 15
will begin with a DJ set, followed by a performance by live bands,
Raagas2Riches and Shor Police. On April 16, one can experience the live
performance by Goa’s Nightingale, Lorna, a fashion show by Verma D’Mello and
the closing act by singer Stebin Ben.
The workshops will include ‘Varieties of Cashew Apple and
Nut Production in Goa and Crop Protection’ on April 15 at 3 pm followed by
‘Feni Forward: Envisioning The Future Of Cashew’ at 4pm. On April 16, three
sessions will be held on ‘Reviving the Cashew Processing Industry in Goa and
Doubling Farmer Income By 2028’ at 3 pm, ‘Innovation in Cashew Apple Products
for Medicinal, Wellness and Nutritional Benefits’ at 4 pm and ‘Relationship
between Farming Practices and Culinary Applications of Goan Cashews’ at 5 pm.
Deputy conservator of forests, wildlife, North Goa, Anand
Jadhav says, “The main idea of Goa Forest Development Corporation Ltd is to
bring all involved in the cashew industry on one platform. There are several
farmers, traders and middlemen but there is a need for value addition. Feni has
a GI tag but it has still not got the recognition on an international level.
Cashew plantations are mostly found in the Talukas of Sattari, Sanguem,
Dharbandora and Quepem. It is important to discuss how to increase the economic
valuation of the crop and its products. There will be knowledge sharing and
technical information discussed at the festival through workshops and the
locals can enjoy cocktails and food that will focus on the cashew. Since this
is the International Year of the Millets, there will be special dishes created
using millets and cashews,” concludes Anand.
The season is best to enjoy the drink, however, drinking in
moderation is very important and highly advised.
