Diu loses its Portuguese palate
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DIU: Diu has been called Goa without hippies. This island town, spread on 14 sq km island, has successfully been the watering hole for those from dry Gujarat for long. However, the sleepy place seems to be slowly drifting away from a precious heritage - its unique Portuguese cuisine.
While the local food in Diu has long been a mix of Gujarati and Portuguese fare, the effect of the later seems to be fading away. A search for authentic Portuguese cooking can be long and disappointing.
There were only 50 Portuguese-speaking Roman Catholic families left in the town in 2012, according to data provided by the district collector Ramesh Verma's office. Many of the families offered authentic Portuguese delicacies of tourists but most of them have moved to Europe and even to Daman and Goa. Today, you can have your quarter, but you can't follow it up with Lisbon-style shrimp soup.
Another major reason is finding the right ingredients. As the demand went down over the years, the supply of unique ingredients dried up, says Gelia Brito, who runs a small snack counter right outside Diu Museum.
Piri piri (small, fiery chilli peppers of African origin) is among the unique spices giving Portuguese cooking a unique flavour. The cooking also uses black pepper, cinnamon, vanilla and saffron in comparatively larger quantities. Olive oil is one of its bases both for cooking and flavouring meals. Garlic is widely used, as are herbs such as coriander and parsley.
"Inflation is the other reason why I have stopped cooking for tourists. The pomfret costs 60% more than last year and King fish is even costlier," Brito says.
Portugal has Europe's highest fish consumption per capita. It is among the top four fish-eaters in the world and is often referred to as the Seafood Nation. While fish is the staple diet, salt cod and sardine are most popular. These again are not easily available in Diu.
Moreover, as dried and salted fish need to be soaked in water or milk before being cooked, preparing food takes time. No wonder, only a couple of restaurants that do offer Portuguese cuisine do not have such delicacies on their menu.
Cozido de peixe, a kind of fish stew; Penn de calamari, pasta with squid; Caldo de camarao, fresh shrimp soup or cozido de camarao are the general items in Portuguese section of the menu of eateries. Bacalhau com natas, which is fish baked with cream and potatoes, a regular preparation in Goa is also absent. Surprisingly, there is not a single restaurant that serves only Portuguese cuisine.
A patient search may lead you to O'Coqueiro (Coconunt Tree) restaurant in Firangiwada area of the city. Ironically, the places is owned and run by Kailesh Pandey, who hails from Nainital. He says he learnt Portuguese preparations from local matriarchs.
"Despite common roots, Portuguese food in Diu and Goa tastes different as it has more regional influence. I am able to serve Portuguese cuisine as I run a small place; still the menu has to be limited. It just doesn't make sense commercially to offer more," he says.
While the local food in Diu has long been a mix of Gujarati and Portuguese fare, the effect of the later seems to be fading away. A search for authentic Portuguese cooking can be long and disappointing.
There were only 50 Portuguese-speaking Roman Catholic families left in the town in 2012, according to data provided by the district collector Ramesh Verma's office. Many of the families offered authentic Portuguese delicacies of tourists but most of them have moved to Europe and even to Daman and Goa. Today, you can have your quarter, but you can't follow it up with Lisbon-style shrimp soup.
Another major reason is finding the right ingredients. As the demand went down over the years, the supply of unique ingredients dried up, says Gelia Brito, who runs a small snack counter right outside Diu Museum.
Piri piri (small, fiery chilli peppers of African origin) is among the unique spices giving Portuguese cooking a unique flavour. The cooking also uses black pepper, cinnamon, vanilla and saffron in comparatively larger quantities. Olive oil is one of its bases both for cooking and flavouring meals. Garlic is widely used, as are herbs such as coriander and parsley.
"Inflation is the other reason why I have stopped cooking for tourists. The pomfret costs 60% more than last year and King fish is even costlier," Brito says.
Portugal has Europe's highest fish consumption per capita. It is among the top four fish-eaters in the world and is often referred to as the Seafood Nation. While fish is the staple diet, salt cod and sardine are most popular. These again are not easily available in Diu.
Moreover, as dried and salted fish need to be soaked in water or milk before being cooked, preparing food takes time. No wonder, only a couple of restaurants that do offer Portuguese cuisine do not have such delicacies on their menu.
Cozido de peixe, a kind of fish stew; Penn de calamari, pasta with squid; Caldo de camarao, fresh shrimp soup or cozido de camarao are the general items in Portuguese section of the menu of eateries. Bacalhau com natas, which is fish baked with cream and potatoes, a regular preparation in Goa is also absent. Surprisingly, there is not a single restaurant that serves only Portuguese cuisine.
A patient search may lead you to O'Coqueiro (Coconunt Tree) restaurant in Firangiwada area of the city. Ironically, the places is owned and run by Kailesh Pandey, who hails from Nainital. He says he learnt Portuguese preparations from local matriarchs.
"Despite common roots, Portuguese food in Diu and Goa tastes different as it has more regional influence. I am able to serve Portuguese cuisine as I run a small place; still the menu has to be limited. It just doesn't make sense commercially to offer more," he says.
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