Goan Food Trail

Most of us in Goa start our culinary journey very young, probably leaning over the stove in our home kitchen with our mum sharing prized family ‘recipes’ with us comprising of vague cues of ‘a handful of this’ and ‘a pinch of that’. Today recreating those drool worthy dishes seem like a daunting task, the nostalgic flavors and nuances often still as elusive as ever. So I turned to cookbooks. These days they seem to be the answer to all of life’s questions, Cook-books have always intrigued and seduced me. Even the dull ones, I can read them from cover to cover, the way you would crime or thriller novels.

Anyway, here is a compilation of books with Goan recipes and food traditions, many of which I have read and used, some of which I haven’t. My favorite has to be Goan Cookbook by Joyce Fernandes, the dog eared pages of my copy a testament to the reading, re-reading and drooling- Love cooking the recipes, they are both authentic and fairly well written. Deepa Suhas Awchat’s coffee table-esque book titled ‘The Goa Portuguesa Cookbook’ is another favorite with its gorgeous food photography.

Which books and recipes are your favorites? Do you have a book I don’t know about? Looking forward to your comments, would love to know your thoughts and experiences with these books in our quest to capture the essence of Goan Cuisine. Happy Reading.

100 Easy to make Goan Dishes; by Jennifer Fernandes