Dining in Goa
Flavors of Goa
Goa’s unique hybrid culture is an intermingling of Portuguese, Arabian, and Hindu influences, and these are reflected liberally in the state’s cuisine. Seafood, in its many varieties, is the staple of most Goan meals, with rich & fish curries being the most popular lunchtime meals. Another recurring note in the food here is the creamy taste of coconut – either grated, freshly ground, or in the form of the sweet milk that’s extracted from its juicy pulp. Red chillies are also liberally used, and these give the local curries their fiery red appearance without the accompanying pungent taste that’s the hallmark of cuisine elsewhere in the country. Besides seafood, restaurant menus feature beef and pork extensively. Goa with its considerable Christian population is one of the few places in India where you can consume pork freely without any cringing from neighboring diners. 
Â
What You Must Try!!
If you’re an adventurous eater and want to sample true Goan cuisine, be sure to try sorpotel—a dish made of heart, liver, blood, and other pig organs. It’s prepared 4-5 days in advance, refrigerated, re-heated, and consumed at leisure. If all this sounds too exotic for you, stick to pork vindaloo-- a marinated red spicy curry that’s also available in a beef version. Mop it up with cumin rice and a green salad on the side. Try bibinca (the most popular dessert here), made from eggs, coconut milk, flour, and nutmeg. Â
Medical tourism travelers who adhere strictly to vegan or vegetarian cuisine will not have as wide a selection to choose from (prepare for strange glances in response to your request for a pure vegetarian meal), but there is a decent choice of lentil and bean curries, and spiced rice courses that include vegetables. Sannas are the local steamed rice muffins and may or may not include lashings of toddy. They usually accompany meat curries and the exotic sorpotel. Â
The best places for medical tourists to sample Goan seafood are at the numerous beach shacks that dot the stretch of coastline from Calangute to Baga in Panjim. Don’t expect any pretentious silver and crystal dining – just the most finger-licking masala shark, grilled lobster, tandoor kingfish, fish xacuti, and mackerel raechad at the most unbelievable prices. The state’s staple produce (cashew) makes its way to your table in the form of salted nuts- great with your drink – and feni, the heady local brew, a base for many popular cocktails here.
Medical Tourism Articles