This layer cake from Goa, bebinca, is a splendid example of the Portuguese bakers’ legacy.
The cuisine of Goa is influenced by its Hindu origins, the Mughlai rule that followed, and then four hundred years of Portuguese influence.
Besides Catholicism, the Portuguese introduced a lot of produce, notably chillies, and introduced many new cooking techniques, including baking. Many Goan dishes are variants of their Portuguese counterparts in both name and use of ingredients.
Goan cuisine is typically hot and tangy. Extensive use is made of dried chillies and souring agents such as vinegar, tamarind or kokum.
This is the Goan version of "meat and three veg", and is clearly a dish from their Portuguese heritage. In fact, it is most commonly called by its Portuguese name of Bife de Goa. It has everything that the Portuguese loved and inspired in Goan cuisine, namely chilli, garlic and vinegar.
This dish, shakuti, is a unique preparation from Goa. It is made with sesame seeds, poppy seeds and a lot of Kashmiri chillies. It is hot, fiery and delicious.
Goan cuisine is typically hot and tangy. It is influenced by its Hindu origins, the Mughlai rule that followed and then four hundred years of Portuguese presence.
Preparations of black-eyed peas are common across all of India. This is the Goan way. It has plenty of chilli and coconut and a touch of tomato. This dish, alsande tonak, is a robust, spicy, hot preparation.
Slow roasted moist duck, with crisp skin and a chilli hit. This is a recipe for duck recheado, or pato recheado. The recipe comes from Goa, and owes its heritage to the Portuguese.
A hot and tangy fish curry from Goa. Just-cooked fish in a spicy coconut masala makes this xiti codi a great favourite.
Fried hot and spicy mackerel. This simple fried fish is the traditional bangda recheado from Goa.
This is the taste of Goa. Super hot red recheado masala is used to marinate, coat or stuff into the food you are cooking.
A slightly hot Portuguese-inspired mussel dish from Goa. Xinaneao recheado can be served as a starter, a snack, or even a main meal.
These bread rolls, pão, come from the Portuguese influence on Indian cuisine. They are very similar to Western bread rolls, but have a subtle Indian twist.
Vindalu is hot and has a complex layer of flavours. First the pork, then the chilli, vinegar and garlic, and then the aromatic spices over that.