Imbibing and
fusing many flavours from the Portuguese kitchen, Goa has developed a unique
blend of Goan-Portuguese cuisine. While generous helpings of this cuisine grace
every table and occupy a place of pride on commercial menus, the authentic
Portuguese cuisine seems passé.
Probably, as one old-timer Anna Maria Martins
points out, the fusion is more suited to the Indian/Goan palate, while the more
bland Portuguese cuisine is an acquired taste.
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A lack of ingredients could be another
deterrent. “Not much is available here. I have to wait for my parcels from
Portugal or seek help on Facebook,” says Margarida Noronha Tavora e Costa,
whose restaurant, Nostalgia, in Raia, South Goa serves up a number of authentic
Portuguese dishes, including different versions of bacalhau, cataplana de
marisco, caldo verde and even Portuguese coffee ground with the imported Nespresso
machines and capsules. “Quite a few people visit the restaurants specially for
these Portuguese dishes,” she explains.
“The ingredients are not easily available here
and have to be imported, particularly bacalhau and cold meats,” endorses
Vasco Silveira, owner of the Horse Shoe Bar and Restaurant along the water front
at Rua de Ourem in Panjim. “Although many claim to serve authentic Portuguese
food, this is not true. In fact, today, we do not even get authentic Goan food.
Those who are accustomed to authentic Portuguese or Goan cuisine would be able
to discern the difference,” he opines. Another factor, he points out, is the
change in people’s taste, thanks to the invasion of so many cuisine cultures.
“A lot of time has also elapsed since the Portuguese left,” adds this chef
whose knowledge of the authenticity of Portuguese cuisine comes from his time
in Angola, Africa as a child and then a working stint in Lisbon, Portugal for
over a year. “There are no shortcuts or fast foods in my cooking. I believe in
making everything, from the masalas to the vinegars. Hence the dishes remain
true to the original flavours,” he maintains. His menu boasts of the best Feijoado and Kingfish Escabeche,
Peixe Molho de Alhose Manteiga, Fish Balchao, Feijoada and
Galinha Peri Peri to be washed down with his signature cashewnut cake – Bolo
Sans Rival.
Vasco is gladdened by the fact that so many
Goans and Indians, besides foreigners, visit his restaurant, which not only
serves up authentic servings of Portuguese, but Goan cuisine as well.
“Portuguese cuisine has a taste of its own. Since people travel to Portugal
more often now, they have developed a palate for it.”
The taste of Portugal at these restaurants is,
as the saying goes, ‘truly Portuguesa’.
