Food in Goa

So what exactly is it that makes the food in Goa so very special? Is it the way Goan food is cooked? Is it the ingredients? Is it he passion, the style or the restaurant? Well to be honest I would have to say all of them combined.

The food in this magical place is seriously special which ever way you look at it and here is why......

The Ingredients

The ingredients in any dish usually determine it's quality and this is one area where the food in Goa really excels. Being a coastal state the main source of food is of course from the see -primarily fish. Rice is the typical accomplice of course and the result is a huge variety of Fish curries.

When the monsoon season hits town the diets of the locals changes as the variety and number of fresh fish available dramatically declines, the Goan people tend to steer more towards pork, and chicken dishes and of course that Indian speciality vegetable curry!

So what's the food in Goa like?

Despite being centred mainly on seafood the range of dishes that Goan food has to offer is massive; Prawns, oysters, gin, mussels and many more are all available readily in a any self respecting restaurant and at a seriously cheap price.

Expect most dishes to be fairly of the hot and spicy but that is not to say the cooler cuisine is not available - you may just have to ask that it all!

The food in Goa has a massive influence of Portuguese it but also can be traced back to the varying traditions 'Bahamani Nawabi' and the 'Konkan'.

Alcohol in Goa

With such an abundance of coconuts throughout the palm tree state it would seem unnatural not to have some sort of nut-based-liquor... and that is where 'Fent' comes in bringing us a blend of coconut sap and cashew nut - It is certainly worth a try but to be honest I didn't feel the need to write home about it!

The classic beer found all over India is 'Kingfisher' a fairly tasty but chemically beer that copast about £1 a bottle ($1.50).

Tip for making Kingfisher beer taste better: The beer is full of the chemical 'glycerine' which is used to make explosives and coincidently not so good for you. To remove the glycerine, open the bottle and put it upside down into a glass of water. You can watch the glycerine pouring out but the beer staying nice and still.

The Restaurants in Goa

A large concentration of my favourite Indian restaurants are all focused around the the beaches of Goa, namely Anjuna and Palolem but every beach has at least one rather special place.

They offer that fine blend of warm and innocent Indian hospitality, comfortable chairs, sandy floors and mouth watering food... O and not to mention ice cold beers.

You'll find the Indian chefs incredibly versatile and the majority of them are more than happy to make something that is not on the menu or perhaps to adjust some thing to your taste.

Chourisso, or pickled pigs liver is a common speciality and usually the food is accompanied with a range of sauces primary made out of coconut - I remember thinking to myself' 'It is a amazing how many different and wonderful things you can make out of a nut!

All in all a meal to at a restaurant in Goa is a pretty special and unique experience combing the wonderful combination to stultify all of your senses at the same time!

Some of the most popular Goan Dishes

A selection of some of the most popular Goan Dishes:

Spicy Pork Vindaloo

For many people the idea of Goan food imediately brings up the idea of this stunning dish.

Roast chicken - Goan Style

Simply a roast chicken dish but here made special suing the famous Goan five spice masala mix. Served with Cocco nut sauce and absolutely delicious!

Apa De Camarao

This seafood dish made out of prawns can be likened to a sort of pie type dish with a bowl of dough as its base.

Goan Fish Curry

Unique in the world of seafood cusine - once you have tried the Goan seafood curry there is really no going back! Made with chillies, garlic, goan Five spice, pepper, Haldi Powder and Tamarind.

Shark Ambot Tik

Taking it's name from Sour (tik) and Spicy Ambot) this heavily Portuguese influenced dish is a classic amongst the tourists and the locals as well.

The best time to Eat the food in Goa?

As previously mentioned, the quality of the food tends to decline slightly during the monsoon season so the best time to visit is generally between November and at the latest May -- this is also when the climate is perhaps the most agreeable

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