When we think about Goa and its cuisine, the focus is mostly on the Goan Catholic, Portuguese or GSB cuisine. But there is a whole different side to the state's culinary canvas and it is the food of the different ethnic communities. Goa's original inhabitants consist of 4 main tribes of Velips, Gowdas, Kunbis & Dhangars. They’re an important part of Goan culture and heritage.
To discover this wondrous world of tribal cuisine, we visited Baddem village in Cotigao to meet with Devidas Gaonkar and his family. Devidas is a poet and journalist and a proud member of the Velip tribe. He has been documenting the history and culture of the Velip tribe he belongs to. Accompanying us in the sojourn was our host Varun, Founder Soul Travelling Goa.
As we reached the verdant pristine village, we received a warm welcome from the family. The welcoming drink was a refreshingly wholesome finger millet beverage. Then we joined Devidas's mother and sister for the making of suva bhakri, a special rice based sweet. It was a fun thing to try.
Once we were done with it, lunch was served. The humble meal consisted of rice, lentil and radish leaves side dish. Food was basic, wholesome, light and yet very palatable. Post lunch we joined Devidas for a quick tour of the village in course of which we got to know about some aspects of the social structure. On returning home, we had an immersive conversation with Devidas which enlightened us about the many more interesting and challenging aspects of the Velip community. The food experience was a testimony to the simple food habits that is solely dependent on the forests.
Offbeat travel experiences in Goa contact Soul Travelling
Website : www.soultravelling.in
Instagram : soul.travelling
Contact : +917666739521
About the host - Anubhav Sapra
anubhavsapra.com/
Anubhav Sapra is an avid culinary explorer who loves to travel and explore different cuisines primarily the street food, not just for the sake of gustatory pleasure but also for quenching his deep thirst for nurturing new cultural connections through the kaleidoscopic canvas of food. He believes that the vibrant and delectable street food tradition across the globe has the power to bring communities together and foster harmonious human existence.
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Text by Swetaleena Nayak