About Goan food:

Goan cuisine is unique in India for the way it fuses together native, Portuguese and Arabian culinary traditions. It is often very simple in preparation yet rich in taste - and draws on the abundant fresh and high quality ingredients immediately to hand in this fertile region.

Traditionally Goan food was cooked in clay pots over wood fires and modern chefs still strive to capture that smoky flavour. Coconut is the predominant flavouring - using its milk or its grated flesh - and fish is the prime ingredient, but not to the exclusion of other proteins. While fish curry and rice is the staple local dish, the typical Goan also enjoys eating chicken, beef and mutton — and even pork which is a taboo meat in most other parts of India.

Spices are used liberally, especially the native Goan capsicum or chilli pepper (or sometimes its Kashmiri cousin) which is not as fierce as types of chilli grown elsewhere in India.

The ubiquitous coconut appears not only in the most popular desserts but also in Goa's famous alcoholic beverage 'Feni' which is based on the fermented sap, known as 'toddy', of the coconut tree. There is also a cashew version of Feni, hardly surprising since cashews are widely grown in the region and the nuts are favourite purchases by visitors to local food markets. These two types of Feni form the base of many an inventive cocktail available in Goa's bars. Another popular drink - a legacy of Goa's past connections with Iberia - is 'Sangria', made with red wine, brandy, sugar, cinnamon and oranges.