TasteAtlas’ list of the World’s Best Cuisines of 2022 has sparked a debate over Indian cuisine placing fifth in the rankings. Amid the diverse regional cuisines of a country as populous as India, the cuisine of its smallest state stands out as a unique intersection of myriad cultures and traditions. Authentic Goan cuisine is a harmonious blend of Konkani, Portuguese and Saraswat cuisines, among others. Tourists of all backgrounds and eating preferences are sure find a delicacy that suits their palette, from the spicy and rich pork sorpotel to the deliciously fresh seafood and mouth-watering thalis.
While being renowned for its rich history
and complexity of flavour, Goa cuisine is on the verge of being swallowed up by
the influx of international and regional cuisines. The introduction of foreign
cooking techniques and ingredients to traditional recipes threatens to mutate
the genuine flavours of Goan cuisine and challenge the state’s culinary
history. As the battle between tradition and fusion rages on, several of Goa’s
restaurants continue to keep the flame alive and serve authentic fare to their
customer.
Located in the small town of Nachionola in
Bardez, Andron Bar and Restaurant continues to serve authentic Goan delicacies
on its menu. “Goan food is a dying cuisine. These days a lot of what the
younger generation taste is fusion food with inauthentic ingredients,” say
Antonio Nazareth, Andron’s owner. “The taste of original Goan food is dying,
except among some members of the older generation and their families. At
Andron, we use fresh ingredients, traditional techniques like slow cooking, and
original recipes to preserve the authenticity of Goan cuisine. We even serve
goan delicacies that are dying out today and are this hard to find. One such
delicacy with an acquired taste is pork butch, where the pork stomach lining is
cut and slow cooked with red goan masala.”
At Divar’s Greenyard Restaurant and Bar, owner Vipul Volvoikar
focuses on freshness and flavour. “We use a mix of family recipes as well as
any authentic recipes that our cooks can bring in. It is very important that we
make the masalas fresh, in house, everyday. We use these masalas when preparing
all of the items on our menu. A lot of branded restaurants have additives like
cream included in their dishes which are not part of the original recipes,
which we definitely avoid. I think that now-a-days, Goan people do not
appreciate their food as much, it is tourists who come from other states that
are interested in authentic Goan cuisine, while locals prefer to eat Chinese
food.”
Vishnu Mishra, the manager of Goan Spice, Anjuna, believes that
the complexity of local cuisine is something that everyone should experience.
“After seeing the world cuisine ranking, I believe that Indian cuisine should
be ranked higher. Goan food is very tasty and has a homemade touch. Here at
Goan Spice, we try to preserve the authenticity of the state’s traditional
cuisine by making everything in house. Our masalas are made by our Goan chef,
we buy nothing from the market. We try to give customers an experience of
authentic Goan flavours.”
Vinayak Family Restaurant, Assagao, is a favourite lunch spot
for localsz renowned for its seafood. Ujwala Govekar, wife of owner-chef Rajesh
Govekar, believes that the family’s efforts are responsible for the high
quality fare of Vinayak. “Our restaurant is family owned and run. My husband
Rajesh Govekar is the chef. We are a seafood restaurant and all our recipes and
masalas are prepared by him. We do not have any branches and the whole family
takes care of running the restaurant to keep up the quality of the food and
service.
Chef
Peter Fernandes, of Chef Peter’s Kitchen, Pilerne, is a paragon of Goan cuisine
and was awarded the title of “Best Chef of India” by the Department of Tourism.
“Goan food is dying because people are not promoting it or taking their food
abroad. A lot of people are learning how to cook continental cuisine instead.
Goan food is a bit difficult to prepare, but that makes the flavour all the
more enjoyable. People are willing to travel to taste authentic Goan cuisine.
My restaurant is located five kilometres into the woods but people still come
to taste my food. I make everything in house and buy fresh local ingredients.
We don’t outsource anything; we even sell our masalas and desserts to other
restaurants. I use my own family recipes; my best selling dishes are actually
made using my grandparents’ recipes. Rather than buying ingredients for cheap,
procuring genuine products to make everything from scratch is a much better
option.