This book is a fast-seller, and not without reason. It’s a comprehensive, simple, very reasonably priced book on Goan food that packs in tonnes of information within its pages. It offers a wide range of Goan cullinary skills all in one place.
Veg, meat and seafood dishes are covered in this book. Also explained are common Goan ingredients and spices, pastes and masalas, and recipes for starters, chicken and pork dishes, lamb and beef dishes, fish and vegetable items, pickles and chutneys, salads and desserts.
This is an ideal text from which you can pick up skills at different levels of Goan cooking. Also includes a food glossary.
Figueiredo wrote the book in the UK. She grew up in Goa itself, and lived in Uganda, Africa till 1972 and Idi Amin. She wrote her book with the intention of giving some background into the history of Goa, and its culture. “I wrote this book specially for my children. Everytime they would ring me from university, asking for a recipe. So I had quite a few recipes already written for them,” says the author. And the love shows!
The author expresses her love for diverse food — English, Indian, Portuguese, Oriental and Italian cuisine. This book’s recipes are based on authentic Goan dishes, adapted for Eastern and Western kitchens. Also included are tips for dishes from two other continents — Africa and Europe — which the author and her family adopted as home for over four decades. “We lived in Asia, Africa and Europe,” she notes. Check out the helpful introduction to the history, culture and produce of Goa.
