Recently, I had the honor to participate in a Goan Christian Traditional food pre wedding Ritual.
These rituals are rare, barely known and practiced and they are holding a couple of weeks before the actual wedding of the couple.
Its all about food, prepared by “3 wise local women”.
All the ingredients are homegrown, hand plucked an dried.
Even the white flour for the deep fried rounds, is home ground.
The 3 women come to the groom's house and are the only ones who know the whole procedure, the ones to guide the present family members and neighbors.
The neighborhood ladies come to help with the preparation and cutting of the food ingredients such as fruits and veggies.
The whole neighborhood, family, and friends of the groom are invited to eat together on the chosen day.
More than 200 people came that day and still there was enough food.
The 3 ladies started to cook 1 day before, continued throughout the night to the next morning.
Rice, curry, vegetables, mackerel fish, deep-fried rounds, fruits, and a special rise dessert were served on banana leave plates and given to each guest.
We were not allowed to take away some of their cooking burdens, they would tell let us know whenever they needed help, which was rare btw.
The preparation was traditional and the most natural way, a simple but very tasty outcome and I am sure everybody enjoyed it.
My special favorite was the rice sweet which is cooked for hours over an open fire all that sweetened with local coconut jaggery.
Simply delicious!
The first plate is given to “them”, kept on a lower house roof.
I asked the 3 wise ladies who the food on the roof was meant for and they explained that it was for the ghosts (or did they say crows?!).
The whole little party got over by evening, with the elder ladies finally getting some rest and sleep.
Hi Helene
Needless to say I enjoy reading your website and trying your suggestions.
Any possibility of you publishing a recipe of Banana flower (bondó) cooked with grated coconut ? This is common in some Bardez hindu kitchens.
I would like one day you to comment on the influence of cooking utensils on the taste of food. Goan canjee cooked in a clay pot has a different taste when cooked in a stainless steel pot.
Hi Carlos,
Well, I will try to get hold of a good recipe and if it makes sense and it is tasty, I will post the bondó recipe. The thing is, it's a hindu house dish, and my husbands family is catholic. That means I will try to ask the neighbors. 🙂
Yeah what you are saying with the utensils, it's true. Clay pot makes a difference, I agree. You sound like my husband, he always tells me to mention the difference between food prepared in clay pots and stainless steel, but I am still collecting material for a substantial article for this topic alone. Thank you for your suggestion, much appreciated!
I agree lots of traditions are fading out.
I remeber my sisters engagment and wedding the sweet prepared home, few days before the functions families comming over and staying in our home, with everybody it was so crowded but so much fun.
Traditions, hold lots of wisdom of our ancestors. For example the way of preparing local leaves and vegetables for health benefits.
Passed down from mother to daughter over centuries. Traditions survive in connection to religion, faith, believe. I think especially in corrupte countries where the unity of the community still value has.
Its a christian tradition. Hindus have so much more traditions, but then this are 2 totaly different religions. thats a totaly different topic.