GOA..fishing the fish

Today , thats 14 th may at 9.00 pm we will start our journey for Goa.
let me jump directly on the topic..
what to eat ? and where to eat?

My friend suggested me visit Cafe Bhonsle
Near Cine National, Panaji (227696). atleast once for breakfast .
Joint is not very popular but its famous for sweet dissh called ban and also regular

maharashtrian breakfast misal pav.
George Restaurant is convenient; if a really spicy chorizo-style sausage appeals to you, order the Goan sausage.
For more atmosphere, make a reservation at Luiz D'Souza's Hospedaria Venite (31st January Rd., Fontainhas; tel. 0832/242-5537), a tiny upstairs restaurant in a 200-year-old building where you can sit on the balcony and order wonderful Goan specialties (or try the delicious shrimp salsa and stuffed crab).
Close by, in a narrow alley, is another popular and consequently slightly cramped restaurant, Viva Panjim (Hs No.178, Rua 31 de Janeiro; tel. 0832/242-2405), which has a decent menu at dirt-cheap prices. But if you're looking for a mix of Portuguese and Goan cuisine done to perfection,
make a beeline for the small and cozy Horseshoe (Rua de Ourem; tel. 0832/243-1788). The menu is extensive and striking for its complete lack of vegetarian options.

I have heard quite lot about Souza' Lobo - Calangute Beach
Souza-Lobo also has a seafood platter, which has a whole bunch of things for Rs.300/-, this too, not unlike other restaurants in the area.

The thing that stands Souza-Lobo apart from others is the music and dancing. They have a live band playing popular numbers, and every now and then, a dance troupe of four performers doing a little Goan or Portuguese number. It's very entertaining, and drunken tourists often join in, dancing alone when the band plays.
Mum's Kitchen (Martin's Building, D. B. Marg, Miramar; tel. 98-2217-5559). It has a laid-back Mediterranean atmosphere and does w onderful crab xec-xec (cooked in thick, spicy coconut gravy) and pomfret recheado (fish stuffed with hot spices and pan-fried). The owner, Rony Martins, not only invites you to examine his kitchen for standards of hygiene and his fish for freshness, he is on a mission to revive authentic Goan cuisine. He sources and adopts old "grandma" recipes and has started "A Cry
of Goa": an exercise to save Goan cuisine.

Maka Goeya boray lakta

Xitt Codi in konkani is a staple diet for many Goans..i.e fish curry and rice.

 Coconut milk, rice and paste are main ingredients of Goan delicacies.

as in north wheat is staple food,  mustard oil is cooking medium, in central /deccan region peanut oil is the medium of cookng . In Goa coconut oil is used and use of Kokum is another distinct feature.

let me start with very spicy yummy portugese -goan dish.

Prawn Balchão is another Goan favourite. Brought to Goa by the Portuguese, Balchão originated in Macao, where it is called Balichao. Balchao is a method of cooking either fish or prawns in a dark red and tangy sauce. Balchao is almost like pickling and can be made days in advance without reheating. The traditional Balchao uses a paste made from dried shrimp known as 'galmbo' in Konkani spices and feni(see below. This paste is added to fresh prawns, onion, spices and oil to prepare a prawn balchao. Balchao is often bottled and eaten as an accompaniment in meals. But many people leave out the dried shrimp paste as this lends a fairly strong fishy flavour to the dish.

Maka Goeya boray lakta

Before we find out what to eat & where to eat... 

let us know brief history about Gomantak (Goa as found in vedas).

 Numerous kings and empires, from the Mauryas to the Satvahanas, Kshatrapus Bhojas Chalukyas of Badami Rashtrakutas Dutch, English, French and Portuguese have fought for its possession and founded their empires here. Its recorded history goes back to the ancient times when it was part of the Mauryan Empire and called by several names such as Gopakapattana, Gomant, Gowapur and Gomanchala. Goa was a colony of the Portuguese till in 1961 Indians forced Portugal out of their tiny stronghold.

Goa became India's maritime power under the rule of the Kadambas who ruled from 1008 AD to 1300 AD. The Muslims first took Goa in 1312, but were defeated by a Vijayanagara king Harihara I, in 1370, who used Goa's port to establish trade relations with Arabia. Then was established the Bahamani Dynasty around 1440 who founded Old Goa and assumed control of this strategic port. The Muslims returned with the conquest of Goa by Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur and Muslim pilgrims from all over India embarked from here on their journey to Mecca.

In short it was ruled by Buddhist,Hindu, Muslim and Christian empires.

and hence Goan cuisine is a blend of different influences the Goans had to endure during the centuries.