Cuisine of Goa

If you are planning a trip to Goa, get ready to be greeted by an array of exotic and spicy dishes of the state. Fish, rice and feni are the three main items that you can savour in Goa, but this is not all, the state offers much more to eat and drink.

For the people of Goa, food is not just a source of nourishment, in fact it is a form of art. Goan are very particular about enjoying their cuisine, for them the food should not just taste good, rather, it should also smell good and look good. In other words, the food has to satisfy more than just satisfying the taste buds.

In the past, the region has been ruled by the Portuguese, Hindu and Muslim, so you will find their cultural influence in the cuisine of Goa. Although the Muslim influence has waned over the years, Hindu and Portuguese influence still dominate.

Usually, the cuisine of Goa is much like anywhere else in India, but there are number of local specialties also like Xacuti, Prawn Balchao and sweets like Bebinca, Dodol and Doce that you will relish to the last morsel. If you like non-vegetarian dishes, Goa offers a variety of pork specialties like the Pork Vindaloo, Goan sausage Chourisoo and the pig's liver dish known as Sorpotel.

Seafood of all types is of course, plentiful and fresh in Goa. In fact, you will find sea food in one form or the other. Some of the popular sea foods which you can taste here are Prawns, Ladyfish, Mussles, Lobsters and Oysters. Any visit to Goa is a tempting experience, perhaps unmatched. Apart from its fine aroma, the variable influences from different continents on its cuisine, make Goa a food-lovers delight in every season.
Monsoon Food
In June, the monsoon come to Goa and remains for the next three months. If you are visiting Goa in the monsoon, you will get by way of fish Prawn Balchao and dried Bombay Duck. During monsoon, a vast range of dishes come out to combat the seafood drought. Khatkhate, seasoned with dry prawns, Alsande a curry of black-eyed peas, or Chowli, cooked with jackfruit seeds, will attract you with their exhilarating fragrance. But the best dish of the monsoon season is the Souraca, a mixture of coconut milk, onions, chillies, garlic, tamarind and spices.

Parts of Pig as Dishes
Pigs are never safe in Goa, because this versatile animal is used for preparing several dishes. Almost every part of pig is a different dish in itself, their bellies are used to prepare Vindaloos and Pork Assado, their tripe go into the Tripas and their bones into Aad Maas. Apart from these, other organs and fat are rubbed with spices, filled into pig guts and hung out in the bright sun to dry to make the popular Goan Sausage.

Sea Food
Christmas- New Year is the ideal time for you to taste the best seafood in Goa. Solantulem is made from Baby Sharks and the Ambot-tik is prepared with petals of tart Komum Solam. Fried Xinanio or Oysters are the speciality of the season. Less seasonal seafood are the Bangada, Pomfret and Isvonn or Kingfish. In addition, the red Nisteachi Codi, come into the range of fish curries. Cawpra, made with teesria in their shells and Zawb, or mussel curry are must-try items for you.

Sweets
While you are in Goa, a wide array of sweets and flavours will raise you from an afternoon's rest. Goan sweets, offer European extravagance along with the simplicity of Konkan cooking. Desserts are kept in simple Konkan style, like the steamed Modak of Ganapatipule and the mango-pulp Ambavadi of Vengurla. Most of the Goa's popular cakes, including th rich Bebinca, are prepared with the basic ingredients of rich flour, coconut milk, palm jaggery, eggs and semolina.

Some Popular Dishes
Pork Vindaloo : Pork Vindaloo is a concoction of wine and garlic. To prepare this dish, pork is seasoned with vinegar and garlic. Originally Pork Vindaloo is a stew, but vinegar and local spices provide a distinctive taste to the dish.

Sorpotel : A non- vegetarian dish, Sorpotel is prepared by cooking boneless pork with toddy vinegar. Apart from vinegar, spices like cumin seed, red and green chillies, cinnamon, clove, garlic, ginger and pepper are also used to prepare Sorpotel.

Chicken Xacuti : If you love a spicy dish, Chicken Xacuti is for you. Chicken Xacuti is prepared by the use of spices like ginger, red and green chillies, nutmeg, coriander leaves, cloves and tamarind.

Goa Tour Packages

Goa Tour in India (05 Days) Features : Goa Tour in India takes you to all the major destinations of the state, where you can savour a variety of delectable cuisine. Goans are very particular about enjoying delicious cuisine, on this tour you get a chance to enjoy those exotic dishes. On Goa Tour in India you can taste the Goan specialities like Xacuti, Prawn Balchao, Pork Vindaloo, Goan sausage Chourisoo, Sorpotel and sweets like Bebinca, Dodol.

India by Day & Night (31 Days) Features : Goans are fond of good food and India by Day and Night provides you a wonderful chance to savour the exotic dishes of Goa. With around 13 days in hand, you can try out all kind of Goan dishes during your trip. You can enjoy a variety of Goan non-vegetarian specialities like Pork Vindaloo, Goan sausage Chourisoo, Sorpotel, seafood like Xacuti, Prawn Balchao and mouth-watery sweets such as Bebinca, Dodol and Doce.

Rajasthan Heritage & Goa (22 Days) Features : If you love good food, Rajasthan Heritage and Goa provides you a good chance to taste the exotic dishes of Goa. On this tour, you can savour a wide array of Goan dishes like Goan sausage Chourisoo, Sorpotel, Pork Vindaloo, Xacuti, Prawn Balchao and sweets like Bebinca, Dodol and Doce. A visit to Goa on Rajasthan Heritage and Goa tour is a tempting experience and you will surely return your home with some pleasant dinning memories.

Best of South India (13 Days) Features : For those who loves exotic cuisines, Goa is a wonderful place. On Best of South India Tour you can enjoy a wide variety of delicious cuisine. Visit Goa on this tour and savour the sea food ranging from fish to varieties of shell fish mussels, oyster, cockles to prawn, lobster, crab and squid. During you trip you can also enjoy local delicacies like the vinegar based fish and prawn balchao, pork vindaloo and sorpotel and the spicy coconut based fish curries, chicken xacuti and carfarel.