Note: This article is a humble effort to document India’s diverse regional cuisines. In pursuit of this, we may refer to various regional, religious, and caste communities to celebrate their unique culinary heritage. Please note that our intent here is to celebrate everyone’s heritage and learn from it—never to reinforce hierarchies or exclusion.
Every cuisine evokes certain emotions in all of us. For me, Goan Catholic cuisine evokes joy. It could be because it includes all the things that bring me joy- succulent but light gravies, breads, cutlets, cakes and Christmas desserts, or it could be because it reminds me of sitting in a quiet Goan beach and having the local bread poiee with sweet black coffee and watching the quiet roar of the sea. Be as it may, Goan Catholic cuisine is joy, and with that joy is exhilaration, because once you start cooking it, you overcome many of the mental barriers you had as a homecook. No, thick gravies need not always be oily. No, baking bread at home is not really that tough. Yes, it is possible to have healthy snacks!
Let’s explore this unique cuisine from India’s smallest state. It may be the last in terms of its geographical area, but going by its food, Goa is definitely not the least.
A Literal Melting Pot of Cultures
Goan Catholic cuisine, or Luso Goan cuisine, emerged as a result of the arrival of Portuguese in Goa in 1510. The then-incumbent Bijapur Sultanate was captured by the Portuguese under the leadership of Afonso de Albuquerque, and Goa became a Portuguese colony for a mind-boggling 450 years till it became an Indian state in 1961.
It is safe to say that 450 years leaves a cultural imprint, and in Goa, this happened in a manner that many of its locals became Christians, and the local Goan food absorbed the food traditions of the Portuguese and created a new cuisine called the Goan Catholic cuisine for the Luso – meaning ‘relating to Portugal or Portuguese’ – Goan cuisine.
The Portuguese introduced ingredients like chillies, tomatoes and foods like breads, vinegars, etc. As a result, a hybrid cuisine emerged, which had the similar ingredients and philosophy as Goan food- i.e. light food, quick cooking and less oil, but had some unique differences. Unlike the rest of the communities in Goa where rice is the primary carbohydrate, breads, especially yeast or toddy-leavened ones, are common. The souring agent is coconut vinegar instead of kokum. While the main non-vegetarian components used to be seafood, the Portuguese introduced the use of pork and chicken. In desserts, they also introduced the convent baking tradition of Catholic nuns in Portugal and Spain, leading to creation of many iconic egg yolk-heavy desserts like the famous Goan Bebinca!
Goan Catholic Cuisine- Simple And Practical
The most evident philosophy behind the Goan Catholic cuisine is how practical it is. It is not a cuisine where people are meant to stand over the stove and stir for hours— most recipes are quick, healthy but also delicious. This is evident in their gravies, the majority of which are cooked quickly. Many of the gravies and marinades, like cafreal, xacuti, etc, and can be made in large amounts and stocked for later. Some are even commercially available in local grocery stores and bakeries. Freshly baked breads are delivered to homes every morning and evening by local poders.
The Goan catholic cuisine is a practical cuisine which enjoys food to its fullest, while also ensuring that there is also enough time left out of the kitchen to enjoy life to its fullest.
Common Ingredients & Taste Pallete of the Goan Catholic cuisine
Goan Catholic cuisine dishes live in extremes. Like the caldinho curry or the Goan stew, they can be the very embodiment of mild comfort food. Like the vindaloo and rachaedo, they can be strongly tangy and spicy. The usual flavours are spicy, tangy and umami, which Goan Catholic dishes carry to the T. All except the sweet flavour- unlike desserts in other parts of the country, Goan Catholic desserts are rich but very subtly sweet.
Gravies use quite a number of spices, but the spices are usually added in ground form rather than whole. Red chillies, especially the slightly milder ones like Byadagi and Kashmiri red chillies are used, along with green ones. Commonly used spices are coriander seeds, cumin, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The tanginess of the Goan Catholic cuisine is derived from the special Goan vinegar made of coconut. This vinegar is milder than the ones usually used to make Indo-Chinese dishes, and is mildly sweet. Apple cider vinegar is the closest comparison that I could find. Sweetness is derived from sugar in most savoury dishes, and in some dishes, mild sweetness is also derived from coconut milk. In desserts, jaggery is also used, coconut and jaggery being a classic combination.
Coconut is widely used in both savoury dishes and desserts of the Goan Catholic cuisine, while vegetables like pumpkin, mushroom, potatoes, peas and carrots are used. Tomatoes and onion, along with ginger and garlic from the base of most curries.
A Mosaic of Curries
Curries of the Goan Catholic cuisine will surprise you by the fact that they are so easy and quick to make, and are relatively very low in oil. I have tried making all of them, and till date have never come across any with excessive oil. There are many curry options in the cuisine and the taste profiles can range from mild and umami (Caldinho and verdur), to tangy and spicy (vindaloo and ambotik), to nutty (Xacuti), and lastly, to herbaceous (cafreal).
1. Caldin/Caldinho
Caldin gravies taste like home. The word caldinho is derived from the Portuguese word caldo meaning light soup or broth. True to its name, it is a thin but richness broth of smooth coconut milk, well complimented by the sweetness of cinnamon and the heat of cloves. The main ingredient of this curry can be vegetables like carrots, beans, peas, gourds, or non-vegetarian versions like prawns or chicken. Some interesting combinations like prawns and cauliflowers or prawns and okra are also made!
2. Verdur
Verdur is derived from the Portuguese word verdura meaning vegetables or greens. Verdur is the simplest of the Goan Catholic cuisine curries and is mostly vegetarian, made of ingredients like pumpkin, beans, peas, ridge gourd, carrot, etc. Smooth and rich with a coconut milk base, it is mildly spiced with green chillies and cumin.
3. Ros/Rossa
These are everyday curries, and quite frankly, my favourite out of all the curries of the Goan Catholic cuisine. This is a soothing curry made of onion, tomatoes and a spice mix of pepper, coriander, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. The smoothness, richness and subtle sweetness comes from the addition of coconut milk. Given its subtle taste, ros dishes can feature a variety of ingredients including chicken, fish, egg and even vegetables and lentils.
4. Vindaloo
In Portuguese, vinha means wine vinegar and alhos means garlic. It was a garlic and vinegar based marinade used to preserve meats like pork. This is easy to believe as the curry is strongly tangy and fiery, cooked in a base of red chillies, onions, spices and a lot of vinegar! While pork vindaloo is the traditional dish, nowadays variations like chicken and vegetables like good old potato are also cooked.
5. Xacuti
Xacuti comes from the Konkani word shagoti meaning thick and spicy gravy. On the of most famous of the Goan Catholic cuisine, these gravies are thick with a bite and have an umami and nutty flavour due to the addition of roasted coconut and poppy seeds in the gravy. The flavour of cloves, pepper, cinnamon, fennel give it a beautiful flavour. Xacuti dishes can be made with mixed vegetables, chicken or fish.
6. Ambot Tik
Ambot tik is another term derived from Konkani language , and means sour and spicy. It is a thin, light, tangy and spicy gravy, with the sourness of vinegar/kokum/tamarind and the spice of red chillies. Spices like pepper and cumin add more dimension to the dish.
Ambot tik is usually made with seafood like prawns.
7. Sorpotel
Sorpotel is said to be derived from the Portuguese word Sarapatel, which means a mess. Sorpotel is a rich, tangy and spicy stew made of offal and spiced with cumin, cloves, cinnamon and pepper. It is eaten with pao bread, and given its elaborate and heavy nature, this curry of the Goan Catholic cuisine is a dish made for special occasions. It is often eaten after a number of days, once it is pickled well.
8. Feijoada
Another dish inspired from a peasant dish in Portugal, feijoada is a hearty Goan kidney beans and meat stew. Its variant became a national dish in Brazil and is made by Afro-Brazilian communities there. To make this dish, kidney beans and Goan pork sausages are cooked in ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes along with racheado masala or Goan spices.
9. Goan Stew
Goan stew is the culmination of colonial influence with traditional Goan food. Technically not a curry, this is a thick and creamy dish of the Goan Catholic cuisine is made with flour and chicken stock and flavoured with typical Goan spices like cloves, pepper and cinnamon. The stew is made with pan-roasted chicken and vegetables like potato, peas and carrots and is eaten with local breads like pao.
... And a Side of Flavour
Along with curries, the typical Goan Catholic cuisine meal may also feature some side dishes. The most simple of these add to the taste palette of the otherwise spicy curry-featuring meals, while the more robust side dishes are also standalone dishes and snacks.
1. Foogath/Fugad/Fugath
Foogath means tempered. These lightly tempered side dishes are the perfect accompaniment to the often strongly spiced gravies of Goan catholic cuisine. These vegetable stir-fries are subtle and soothing in taste.
2. Chilly Fry
Chilly fry dishes of the Goan Catholic cuisine are simple snacks or dry side dishes with prawns, chicken, or vegetables stir fried with a combination of garlic, onion, tomato and green chillies.
3. Sukhem/Sukhe/Sukke
Sukhem, meaning dry, are vegetarian or non-vegetarian side dishes with a thick, dry-roasted masala of coconut or onion-tamarind, and dry spices like coriander.
Rice and Pulaos
Xitt-kodi is a famous terminology used in the Goan Catholic cuisine. It is the most basic of combinations, xitt standing for cooked rice, and kodi for coconut-based fish curry. In addition to the basic requirement of cooked rice, the Goan Catholic cuisine also features some simple but flavourful pulaos as discussed below.
1. Arroz Pulao
Simple, subtle and umami pulao, with rice, cooked with onions, tomatoes and peas, all simmered in a flavourful tempering of cloves, cinnamon and pepper. It is the perfect accompaniment to the flavourful curries like xacuti and sorpotel.
2. Chicken or Prawn Pulao
Non-vegetarian pulaos of the Goan Catholic cuisine are similar to arroz pulao in terms of basic ingredients. Addition of proteins like chicken and prawn make the dishes more holistic and one-pot meals.
3. Chorizo Sausage Pulao
Chorizos are the famous Goan pork sausages. The stuffed meat is used to make this rice pulao further flavoured with the same ingredients as arroz pulao above.
Goan Breads - A Living Legacy
While rice dishes are very popular as an everyday food, breads are also an important part of the Goan Catholic cuisine. There are a variety of breads, including yeast-leavened, toddy-leavened, and unleavened breads. Many of the toddy-leavened breads now substitute toddy with yeast because of easier availability of the latter.
A. Yeast-Leavened Breads:
Quite possibly one of the most beautiful sights one can see in Goan villages is the local baker called poder on bicycles delivering traditional breads. They deliver five types of yeast-leavened breads, used by Goans as an accompaniment to their curries or teas.
1. Poie/Poiee
Poiee is a flat bread made partly of whole wheat flour and bran. It is eaten with gravies and is also a popular sandwich bread with stuffing of recheado-flavoured meats or cutlets. It is also eaten with butter for breakfast or during tea time.
2. Unddo
A distinctive bread from the Goan Catholic cuisine, Unddo has a crusty exterior and a soft and airy interior. It is best enjoyed with Goan gravies, and has a distinctive shape with a single cut on its surface.
3. Pao/Pav
While pao or pav is a general term for bread, in the Goan poder culture context, these are the softest of the breads, with both a soft exterior as well as a spongy soft and airy interior.
4. Kakonn
Kakonn are the most dramatic of Goan Catholic cuisine breads. Meaning bangle in Konkani, these are sweetish, hard ring shaped breads with a hard exterior and long shelf life. The identity of a kakonn is that they make a hollow thud sound when struck against one another. It is eaten with tea and coffee. The trick to their crispiness is an additional ten minutes in the hot oven on a rack once the baking time is over.
5. Katre Pav
Katre means scissors in Konkani. This is a butterfly-shaped bread in which the dough ball is first cut with scissors at two ends, then stretched out and shaped like a butterfly. Like the unddo, the exterior is crusty while the interior is soft- meant to be eaten with gravies or with bread and jam.
B. Toddy-Leavened Breads
6. Sanna
A truly delicious steamed idli-like bread, sanna is leavened with toddy and has a distinctly sweet flavour. It is moister than idli and is perfect for eating with spicy Goan Catholic cuisine gravies. Due to unavailability of toddy in many areas, recipes using yeast for leavening are also available.
C. Unleavened Breads
7. Koiloreos
Koiloreos is a comforting thin pancake made of ground rice and coconut. More details on koiloreos in the breakfast section below!
Condiments
A number of pickles and chutneys are part of the Goan Catholic cuisine, the most famous of which are the pickled prawn mix of Balchao, and the Goan green chutney. Apart of these regular condiments, the cuisine is unique in also making jams from fresh fruits like mangoes, as we will discuss below.
1. Balchao
Balchao is a side dish or pickle which is spicy and tangy with an undercurrent of sweetness from jaggery. An iconic preparation of the Goan Catholic cuisine, it is traditionally made of prawns, but vegetarian versions are also made today with vegetables like eggplants.
2. Goan Green Chutney
Goan green chutney is a milder variant of the various green chutneys made in India. It is made of green coriander, coconut, green chillies, garlic cloves, tamarind and onion, with a seasoning of salt, sugar and cumin seeds.
The green chutney is popularly used to make sandwiches layered with butter and the chutney.
3. Mangaad
Due to Portuguese influence, the Goan Catholic Cuisine also consists of fresh fruit jams made of fruits like mangoes, pineapples and papaya. These jams are unique in having a distinct touch of Goan spices added to the jams. The most popular one is mangaad, which is made of mango and sugar, with a hint of cardamom and cloves.
These jams can be enjoyed with the local breads with butter, over breakfast or tea.
Marinades & Masalas
Given that a key aspect of the Goan Catholic cuisine is practicality, the abundance of marinades and masalas- often made in bulk and used in parts while cooking, is an important part of the culture. These marinades are also found in local neighbour shops and bakeries, and are used in roasts and grills made in the households.
1. Recheado
Similar to the vindaloo in taste, this is a spicy and tangy thick masala which is used to stuff roasted fish, or as a coating for chicken and prawns. Recheado is a Portuguese word for stuffing or filled, and is used as a filling for fish, cutlets, or a masala coating for tawa rawa prawns which are then coated with semolina for a spicy crunch.
2. Cafreal
A dish with a problematic name, Cafre is an outdated term used by Portuguese for southeastern Africans, particularly from Mozambique. Cafreal is a thick marinade of the Goan Catholic cuisine with a spicy and minty herbaceous taste. It is often served as a thick gravy, eaten with a bread like unddo, but the traditional use is as a thick marinade for grilled chicken.
3. Goan Garam Masala
Goan garam masala is a strong mix of spices including typical Goan Catholic cuisine spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, star anise and coriander seeds. The strongest flavours are of cinnamon and cloves, and this powder is best made in large quantities to be used in multiple recipes like chana ros and some of the curries of the cuisine.
A Breakfast Spread in Goa
Goan Catholic cuisine features a lot of breakfasts, but the two major categories are savoury gravies served with leavened/unleavened breads, and sweeter breakfasts leveraging the classic combination of rice, coconut and jaggery.
A. Gravies and Bread Combinations
1. Ros Omelette
Ros omelette is quite possibly my favourite dish in this cuisine! This is a leftover-utilising dish, where the leftover curry from chicken rossa is used as a gravy for plain egg omelette. A popular street food in Goa topped with raw onions and pav on the side, this is one of the most comforting ways to start your day if you plan ahead!
2. Chana Ros
Another protein-rich breakfast to start the Goan Catholic cuisine way is chana ros, where boiled yellow peas are cooked with a masala of ground fresh coconut and Goan catholic spices. Like the ros omelette, this is also eaten with pav or other breads.
3. Aloo Bhujia
Another soothing breakfast is aloo bhujia, a mashed potato gravy mildly tempered with mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves, along with pav or pooris. The earthiness of this dish gives a classic comfort food vibe.
B. Rice-coconut-jaggery combinations:
4. Koiloreos
Koiloreos is a thin crepe made of soaked rice and fresh coconut batter. There are both sweet and savory versions in the Goan Catholic cuisine, but one of the most comforting combinations is with thick coconut milk mixed with jaggery and cardamom- called nallacho ros- or a crunchier version of jaggery mixed with fresh shredded coconut and cardamom.
5. Shevyo
Another version of the rice-coconut-jaggery combination is with steamed rice noodles called shevyo. To make shevyo, rice flour batter is steamed and then passed through a traditional noodle-maker to make delicate rice noodles. These are then eaten with coconut milk or fresh grated coconut and jaggery, both spiced with cardamom.
Desserts
Desserts of the Goan Catholic cuisine deserve an article of their own, given the sheer variety of them. My first brush with them came about while searching for Indian Christmas time desserts. It was then that I came across the concept of kuswar.
The word Kuswar or kuswad means a set of festive dishes served for family and friends alike for Christmas. The name is derived from the Indo-Portuguese term consuada, meaning dinner that is served on Christmas eve, and consists of as many as 22 recipes.
The making of these Goan Catholic cuisine dishes was traditionally a family affair, and the exchange of sweets between friends and neighbours brought the whole family together. Following are some of the kuswar sweets made by Goan Catholics on Christmas, each one a beautiful varying mix of Portuguese techniques with existing Indian cooking and ingredients. While none of the desserts are overwhelmingly sweet, each has distinctive characteristics that can help one identify the source of inspiration. The influence of Portuguese convent-style cooking is clear in usage of egg yolks and slow baking techniques in desserts like bebinca, or the layering and richness of serradura. Portuguese-inspired desserts also favour usage of sugar over jaggery, and use of ingredients brought to India by them, for example, the guava dessert called perad. At the same time, desserts have local influences in how they use local ingredients, for example jaggery in dodol, ghee in the baath cake, the gujiya-like fried dumpling called neureos or chana dal in doce de grao.
1.Perad/Guava Cheese
Perad or guava cheese is a mildly sweet dessert made of guava pulp, sugar and butter or ghee.
2. Kulkuls
Kulkuls are crispy, deep-fried dough-bites made of semolina, coconut milk, ghee and sugar.
3. Neureos
Neureos are the Goan Catholic cuisine’s version of the North-Indian gujiya. It is a fried dumpling filled with sweetened semolina, coconut and dry fruits.
4. Dodol
Dodol is a thick fudge made of slow-cooked coconut milk, jaggery, and rice flour. It is a labour-intensive desserts, but has a decadent thick and chewy texture. The Goan government has applied for a GI tag in June 2024.
5. Doce de Grao
Doce de Grao is like a light chana dal barfi, which boiled chana dal mixed with coconut, sugar and cardamom and cooked in ghee.
6. Bolinhas
Bolinhas are coconut flavoured semolina cookies with a crisp exterior and a comfortingly soft interior.
7. Baath
Baath is a semolina cake with added fresh coconut which gives it an interesting flavour and texture. This cake has a pre-baking resting time of 6+ hours in order for the flavours to assimilate and for the cake to be moist.
8. Pinagr
Pinagr are a simple dessert made of roasted rice flour, coconut, jaggery and cardamom. Rice flour and coconut is added to melted jaggery with cardamom and then rolled into croquette-shapes called pinagr.
9. Kormolas
Kormolas or phoolancho kalyo are flower-bud cookies. These are sweet-flour dough cookies which are shaped like flower buds and deep-fried.
10. Bebinca
Bebinca is the queen of Goan desserts and a specialty of Goan Catholic cuisine. It is a rich layered cake made of flour, sugar, ghee, egg yolk, and coconut milk, and spiced with cardamom or nutmeg. The method of making the cake is laborious and specialised, with each layer being baked separately. The dual color of the batter is derived by using sugar to sweeten the lighter layer, and caramel for the darker ones.
The traditional bebinca has 18 layers!
11. Serradura
Serradura is a modern dessert which is super easy to make. It is essentially a layered dessert with alternate layers of whipped cream and crushed biscuits.
Snacks
Tea-time snacks are a big part of Goan Catholic Cuisine, often made at home, but also available in small local bakeries. Some of the popular traditional snacks are crescent shaped breaded stuffed pastries called rissois filled with creamy prawns, chicken or vegetarian fillings. Croquettes and cutlets are also common fares. Another interesting variety of tea-time snacks are paozinhos, meaning little breads in Portuguese. These are small breads stuffed with savoury fillings of vegetables, chicken and especially chorizo pork sausages.
A Link to the Past
This exhaustive list brings us to the end of this article on Goan Catholic cuisine. While no single article can do justice to the sheer variety and beauty of any Indian microcuisine, the list above shows the beautiful metamorphosis that occurs when local cuisines assimilate with newer cultures and create something both novel but also deeply entrenched into the timeless history of our land.
