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It’s April and the mercury is rising. Despite the heat and the bright skies, summer in Goa has its own charm.
It begins with the ripening of tropical fruits. Branches of cashew trees hang low heavy with the yellow-orange fruits. When not plucked they ferment in the afternoon sun suffusing somnolent afternoons with a heady fragrance.
It is also a reminder that it’s time for cashew juice known as niro. After a few weeks, the fermentation process will set in and tiny home breweries in Goa get busy with the process of brewing feni. This local alcoholic drink is much favoured by Goans and is used in cooking, as a medicine, as an appetiser and as relaxing beverage at the end of a long hot day.
This is also the time to collect wild cashew nuts. Roasted over an open wood fire they are full of flavour and more delicious than the cultivated, packaged nuts. Following the scent of ripening fruit, monkeys come bounding over the tree tops to pick and eat the juicy cashew fruit. Their naughty antics through the trees cause the ripened fruit to fall to the ground where they are picked up by passersby. Armed with a stick and a bag you will see groups of young women and children rummaging through the leafy undergrowths of neglected properties eagerly searching for these delicious nuts. Once roasted, they are ground into a paste and used to flavour curries and sauces.
Summer means mangoes. The king of fruits still holds sway in the heart of Goans and Goa is home to a number of mango species. Unfortunately, many local strains are dying out. But a young farmer who is also an aeronautical engineer has made it his mission to save and revive local mango strains collecting grafts from all over Goa.
Mangoes are used in many ways in Goan cuisine. They are pulped to make jams or mixed with spices to make chutneys. Another favourite is water mango. This is raw mango bottled in saline water spiced with chillies.
The local markets are full of juicy pineapples, watermelons, chickoos and papayas. Juice bars and restaurants offer slushes, lassies and homemade ice creams. A fresh fruit platter in the morning with dollops of creamy curd is the perfect way to start your day.
Some of our villas have their own private gardens and orchards. The fruits and vegetables are organically grown and arrive on your plate fresh from the garden. These are some of the little luxuries that you can look forward to on a summer day at your private villa in Goa.