India

India

View Larger Map

I just love India and Indian food. It is the cuisine I love the most after Italian cuisine of course. I have visited both Mumbai and Goa. The first is a huge and crowded city and could be considered the heart of India. It is a world of its own where you can witness both the incredible beauty and the overwhelming social differences of the country. It is also the mirror of a nation that is changing incredibly fast. It is hard to explain this city to someone who has never been there. I have recently seen an amazing movie that gives a very good idea of what Mumbai is like. It is called Dhobi Ghat (Wiki) and if you are interested in knowing more about this city, I strongly recommend you watch it.

Goa is a completely different story. It is a small State, south of Mumbai and it is very famous for its beaches. During the 70’s it became a very popular hippy travel destination. However, Goa is so much more.

It used to be a Portuguese colony so its culture has been influenced by the Portuguese. Many Goans are Catholic and there are lots of beautifully decorated churches.

Catholic Goan cuisine (Wiki) is very distinctive and different to the rest of Indian cooking because it has been deeply influenced by the Portuguese. This is why many of the most famous local dishes are pork based and/or prepared with vinegar:

• Goan sausage (Wiki)
• Sorpotel (Wiki) is a pork dish
• Vindaloo (Wiki) is a very spicy curry

Other famous dishes include Xacuti (Wiki) (a curry usually prepared with chicken), Balchão (Wiki) (prawn pickle), Ambotik (a sour curry), Bebinca (Wiki) (a multi layered cake). Feni (Wiki) is a very famous local liquor and it can be made either from coconut or from cashews.

I have been to India a couple of times, but I have to admit that I do not have many food related pictures to display! I guess that being there with my husband made me behave less like a tourist… 😉 It is a shame I know, especially since Indian food is just amazing and the markets are quite an experience. Anyhow, I still have a few photos that I can share with you… there were times when I just could not resist having a picture taken!

Here I am drinking coconut water (nariel pani) from a stall in the busy streets of Mumbai. It was so hot and humid and the refreshing and sweet coconut water was exactly what I needed!

This is a small and colourful bazaar in our Mumbai neighbourhood. The products were placed on very simple stall, but they were all neatly and beautifully presented.

Here I am in Calangute beach, Goa. I am eating some delicious street food called bhajis (also called pakoras – Wiki), vegetables fritters made with gram flour batter… Yum!

 

This is me again, in Calangute, enjoying a refreshing Feni cocktail: