Peek into the consuada to understand the bounty of Catholic Christmas culinary traditions. Joanna Lobo It’s that time of the year when the stars and cribs come out to play. The decorations are set up, lights twinkle in windows and kitchens get busy preparing sweets. The Goan Christmas sweet tray or the consuada (kuswar in Konkani) is an important part of the festival. These sweets pay tribute to the abundant fare available in the state, namely coconut, black coconut jaggery (madachem god), and cashew nuts, among others. It is believed that 21 sweets and some savoury items adorn the tray – cris ..read more

Experience a different side of the state on the pages of these seminal books Frederick Noronha A book changes your life, they say. One book and one academic paper completely changed my perception of Goa — besides my plans and career (in part). That sunny Goa University afternoon, in the mid-1980s, was a good time to steal 15 minutes from the mid-afternoon recess. A student there, one would often spend that time at the library's reading room. Entirely by chance, an issue of the journal Pacific Affairs showed up. Who would expect a journal with this name to include an article on Goa? To find it ..read more

Where to find your fix of this healthy, fermented iced tea Joanna Lobo Tasty, with a side of gut health. It could very well be the tagline for kombucha, the mildly effervescent fermented black or green tea that’s become the newest wellness trend. Goans, it appears, love kombucha. They are making it, they are drinking it and they are selling it. Kombucha can be found on supermarket shelves, general stores, restaurants and cafes. There are subscription services available for those who need their daily or weekly fix. There’s even a restaurant dedicated to it: The Coffee and Kombucha Bar in Anjuna ..read more

Volunteer-driven initiatives are offering relief and aid to migrant workers hit by the COVID-19 lockdown Arti Das It was the heartbreaking image of India’s lockdown: migrant workers finding themselves jobless overnight leaving cities in droves, on foot, carrying their possessions on their backs. These faceless, nameless people, who shape our cities, triggered a discussion about the value of human life. In Goa, where migrant workers are the backbone of the real estate economy, the situation was no different. They struggled to get food on their plate. Enter the Goa Humanitarian Helpline. The vol ..read more

The Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is a true slice of ornithological heaven Tejas Abraham A boat ride snakes through waterways in a mangrove. On the marshy land, the earth heaves as crocodiles struggle to find a good resting position. Trees form a low canopy adding an emerald glow to the surroundings. Birds soar in the sky, adding a splash of colour, their twitters piercing the silence. This sense of idyll is spread over a mere 1.8 square kilometres on Chorao Island, along the Mandovi River. The Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is the only protected estuarine habitat in Goa and boasts an incredible di ..read more

A heritage building in Fontainhas houses a restaurant dedicated to Portuguese culinary fusion and built on the dreams of two innovative chefs Rashmi Krishnan & Rebecca D'Costa One crisp fall night in Paris, beneath the golden lights of the Eiffel Tower, two young Indian chefs drunkenly vowed to open a restaurant that would make waves in the culinary world. One year and two phone calls later, Madhav Dayal and Varun Menghani found themselves hanging up their chef’s jackets from the world’s leading kitchens to begin a new chapter as commis (junior chefs) in their own restaurant, Miguel's in G ..read more

A glimpse of the culinary offerings of this beloved festival Joanna Lobo It is Goa’s biggest Hindu festival. Ganesh Chaturthi, locally called chovoth, is a monsoon festival that brings together families scattered around the world. Houses shut through the year open their doors to welcome the elephant-headed god, in the form of clay idols. Chovoth is largely a family festival, but community celebrations are held too. It is a festival that truly celebrates nature, and the bounty of the land. “Everything that is cooked, eaten and offered to the gods is local and often, picked up from our own backy ..read more

By Aishwarya Shah A freeze frame of 2020 is a most peculiar one as it reveals the first ever plague of the digitalised era. What that has meant is that ‘accessibility’ in the arts has taken on a new meaning even as quarantine limited everyone to their household bubbles. Museums worldover put together virtual tours, magazines released issues digitally for free, bands took to live streaming their performances, and actors, poets and writers collaborated to bring free readings to your screen. Even as death tolls were rising, the curve refused to flatten and anxieties flared, art continued to be th ..read more

The Goa Podcast is all about sharing the stories of interesting & inspiring individuals in Goa. Capturing our guests' experiences and the surrounding sounds of their day to day life as well. However from time to time, the work of said individuals simply has to be shared visually as well! This week's podcast and interview with Ruturaj Parikh & Maanasi Hattangadi of Matter, an architecture, design & publishing studio based in the village of Sangolda is a prime example of exactly that. For as much as we can discuss the ins & outs of their daily practice, the important learnings o ..read more

With everyone talking about being vocal for local these days, young storyteller Kabir Naik has also decided to show his support and use his film making skills & online presence to share a little love for his fellow content creators in Goa. Compiling a list of his 25 favourite creatives across Youtube & Instagram, Kabir's video 'Goa's Best Content Creators' provides a quick & easy guide to a range of Goa's emerging & established talent in the field of comedy, travel, music and photography. So with infectious enthusiasm and a humble yet excitable attitude, Kabir's self tilted You ..read more