5 Snack Souvenirs Every Foodie Should Bring Back from Goa

High on everybody’s to-do list when holidaying in Goa is a binge-fest on the state’s incredible cuisine. The joys of Goa include everything from the freshest seafood and spicy preparations with beef and pork, to mopping it up with rustic locally-made bread called pao or poee, to tasting a bit of coconut in everything – grated, in curry pastes, and in desserts too!
While your holiday is likely to be abundantly punctuated with food and drink, there are also a lot of snack souvenirs you can bring back for others to taste — or let’s be real — just finish in the airport before you leave. These are little bits to remember this sunshine state by, long after your holiday is done.
Chouriço
Photo by Scott Dexter CC BY-SA
Also called Goa sausages or chorizo locally, this pork sausage is distinctly Goan in that it is homemade and has a heady fragrance from being spiced, smoked and sundried with a bunch of heady flavors infused within. Available in strings of round, bead-like sausages they’re also commonly called rosary sausages. A rich earthy red colour, they’re spiced with ginger, garlic, red chillies, cinnamon and cumin that lend an intense, deep flavor. To offset the heat slightly is a hit of tanginess that comes from being profusely doused in vinegar that also helps the sausages keep for long periods of time without refrigeration. Perfect for your long flight back home!
Cashew Nuts
Photo by Rev Stan CC BY
An immensely popular produce of the state is the cashew nut; however, it was not always indigenous to Goa. It is believed that the cashew apple (the fruit) was imported by the Portuguese, from North Eastern Brazil in the early 1700s, along with tomatoes and chilies. Today, it is a predominant cash crop and stores exclusively selling cashew nuts can be found all across the state. The cashew apple when fresh is used in making feni, the local firewater, while the nut is extracted from the apple, processed and enjoyed on its own. Cashew nuts are available in a range of varieties – from raw, with or without the skin, to skinned, roasted, fried or even salted and spiced. They make a great bar snack and can be used in cooking too.
Feni