Christmas Archives - Susan Jagannath

Local Breads and Christmas Sweet Treats in Goa

Susan Jagannath — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 02:20:03 +0000

A Search for Local Breads and Christmas Sweet Treats in Goa led us deep into the quieter heart of Goa’s Mapusa markets. Tucked away behind the loud and flashy stores with cheap clothes and plastic goods from interstate, we discovered the heart of Goan food. In the covered arena, the vibrant stalls, the heady mix of aromas, and the lively chatter created a sensory overload that makes every visit an adventure. But for those in the know, the mission is clear—get to the traditional bakery and sweet section before everything sells out by 11 a.m.

In the maze of flavors and textures, Goa’s breads and sweets tell a story of tradition and community. Let’s explore these culinary treasures that make Mapusa a paradise for food lovers.

Breads of Goan Life

Each bread in Goa has its own unique personality, shaped by the culture and tastes of the region.

Boal:
These dark, rustic discs may look unassuming, but don’t judge them by their rugged appearance. Made with coarse rice flour, boal is hearty and full of earthy flavor—a perfect companion to curries or gravies.

Bathx:
Golden, soft, and round, bathx is like the warm hug of the Goan bread family. It’s a staple at most households and a favorite for breakfast.

Poi:
If you’ve missed the sound of the poi vendor honking through village streets, you haven’t truly experienced Goa. This quintessential local bread has a chewy texture and a subtle sourdough flavor that pairs well with anything, from butter to fiery Goan sausages.

Kankonn:
Goa’s answer to bagels, kankonn are ring-shaped breads that are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. They’re perfect for snacking or as a sidekick to your evening tea.

Sweets for Every Celebration

Goa’s sweets, especially during Christmas, are more than just desserts—they’re memories wrapped in sugar and coconut.

Doce:
A sunny delight! Made with coconut and gram, doce melts in your mouth and leaves a lingering sweetness.

Kokad:
These colorful coconut squares are festive treats that look as good as they taste—like edible confetti on your plate.

Dodol:
Also called dol dol, this sticky, dark, and gooey treat is the ultimate comfort food. Made with coconut milk, jaggery, and rice flour, it’s a dangerously addictive bite of nostalgia.

Bolinhas:
Bite-sized and crumbly, these coconut cookies are perfect companions for tea. They bring a delicate sweetness to every bite.

Pinag:
Jaggery-coated nuggets of caramel goodness, pinag is earthy, flavorful, and the ultimate energy booster.

Cakes to Savor

Goa’s cakes are a reflect the regions rich history and creative culinary flair.

Carrot Cake:
This Goan version of a classic dessert is dense, spiced, and flecked with sweet carrots. It proves that vegetables and desserts are, indeed, best friends.

Dark Fruit Cake:
This Goan version of a Christmas Cake is packed with dried fruit, with a strong punch of brandy or dark rum. Kept ready to eat after Midnight Mass, which in Goa is at Midnight sharp.

Goa’s Breads and Sweets: A Love Letter to Tradition

As you stroll through the lively Mapusa Market, these breads and sweets aren’t just food—they’re a slice of Goa’s soul. Crafted with care and bursting with flavor, they remind us why traditions are worth savoring.

So, next time you find yourself in Mapusa, take your time. Wander. Taste. Relish. And let the magic of Goa’s culinary heritage wrap you in its warm embrace.

Conclusion

The breads of Goa are more than just food; they are a testament to the state’s rich heritage and the artistry of its bakers. From the rustic charm of boal to the soft embrace of bathx, the chewy nostalgia of poi, and the crisp comfort of kankonn, each bread tells its own story, woven into the fabric of Goan life.

These humble creations are a daily reminder of the region’s cultural identity, serving as a bridge between tradition and taste. Whether you’re strolling through the lively Mapusa markets or enjoying a quiet breakfast in a Goan village, these breads bring warmth, history, and a unique flavor to every meal.

Next time you’re in Goa, take a moment to savor these treasures—not just as a meal, but as an experience. After all, there’s no better way to connect with a place than through its food.

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Christmas Across Borders

Susan Jagannath — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 07:21:52 +0000

Christmas is really about journeys, of all sorts. And for those of a literal bent, and a military brat background, it meant real journeys, but most of those were “postings”, when Dad was transferred from one end of India to another.

Except this one – a long time ago in 1971 – soon after the ’71 Bangladesh liberation. My Dad’s battalion had moved up to the Western border, to the Shakargarh sector where fierce tank battles had ensued, (and provided many an Army base with captured Patton tanks that were highly suitable for display, and playing war by hordes of Army brats).

Vijay Diwas occurred conveniently at the end of school, and I had barely arrived home in Babina, Jhansi, and Mum decided that we should pile into our car and drive up to meet Dad at the border. There might be wars, and deployments, trains were full, but the Burgess family was going to be together at Christmas.

In those days, the roads were not so good, and I can remember a four day journey from Jhansi. We took our army driver along, wearing his uniform to deter any bandits as we were driving through the Gwalior ravine, peak dacoit areas. The roads were pretty empty, so soon after the war, and for long stretches we were the only vehicle in sight. We were making good progress across Uttar Pradesh, stopping with relatives, or at Army accommodation, until we entered the Punjab.

To be flagged down at every village, at the first one, we were a bit scared of the wild looking village Sardarjis – only to realise that they were determined to feed and water us. As soon as they knew the purpose of our journey, we were treated like royalty, and not a Dhaba would take money for our meals. And at every gurudwara we were almost force fed lassi. Now we love lassi, but it was winter, so it was pretty cold as it was, and there’s only that much lassi one can drink!

Eventually we made it to Pathankot on Christmas Eve. And the next day being a holiday, we drove up to cross the international border, ( my first “foreign” visit), and gawk at the churned up sugarcane fields and debris of the enormous tank battle in the Shakargarh sector. “Shakargarh” means “Sugarfort” named no doubt for the huge sugarcane growing area in the Punjab.

A New Book is here

And you will find out more about these in that book, as well as more of our personal encounters.

Read all about it!

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Happy Reading for the Holidays

Susan Jagannath — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 23:27:47 +0000

Seasons Greetings!

That’s the term we learnt to use between Christmas and New Year, but I’m happy for you to wish me a Merry Christmas. At Christmas the best gifts I love to get are books! But this year, one of my lovely kids gave me a pink pen, engraved with my name. In the meanwhile it’s time to get ready for a year of reading…so here are books for you to fill up your ereader..just in case you got one for Christmas. These are books either free or discounted by author friends of mine.

This is just a list of books – please excuse the lack of any writing around it..click the link to download the book to your reader.

Note: The free and discounts may be for a day or to New Year Days only.

Military sci fi

https://geni.us/EndDaysComplete
https://geni.us/MLComplete
https://geni.us/Superdreadnought1-6

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Romance

https://www.romancebookworms.com

Camino books

https://amzn.to/3ti8kTv
https://amzn.to/3GH2P3E
https://amzn.to/3TvSzTP
https://mybook.to/thecaminodeinvierno

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And these are my other books

https://getbook.at/TCI
https://getbook.at/TheValleyofFlowers
https://getbook.at/ChasingHimalayanDreams

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The Stories Behind Every Recipe at Christmas

Susan Jagannath — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:26:51 +0000

The Stories behind the Christmas treats

Christmas is a time for family, both the one you are born into and the ones you choose. Christmas at our house is a time of giving thanks, plenty, togetherness and love, and in earlier days, hordes of visitors. From mid morning to late night, we were greeting and being greeted, and sharing our safely hoarded treats with our non-christian friends.

As a military family for several generations, every Christmas could be in a different place, and the various makings of traditional treats may or may not have been available. So we began shopping and sending for foods, and storing them from October or earlier because we knew that come Christmas Day, every military friend would descend on our home en masse to wish us A Happy Christmas, and enjoy the treats that we cooked only at this time of the year. And if you were a new(ish) wife, far away from home and Mum, you learnt to depend on your friends to teach you how to cook a particular dish or treat, and how to scale it out for numbers.

Every Christmas Recipe has a name

All my recipes have a name attached to them. The name is usually the person who passed on the recipe, like Myrna’s Coconut Sweet. With just the minimum ingredients, this coconut ice is a failsafe one, that always sets, and sometimes it may be pink, or sometimes if I was distracted and burnt a couple of strands, it would be golden brown. And this recipe is from when we were in a base called Yelahanka, nestled in coconut groves and surrounded by shining pay fields. That’s a memory now, Yelahanka is now a suburb of Bangalore on the way to the airport. And every time we arrive or leave, we crane or necks to peer into the base, that is in itself little changed.

The Rum Punch is definitely my Dad’s, I can still see him taking over the kitchen and whipping up the punch, complete with splitting the milk into it and then straining it though a fine muslin cloth. The last time he did this was in Udhampur, an army base in the foothills of the Himalayas, before he retired. We imagined long holidays with Mum and Dad in their retirement, with lots of Christmasses, but it was not to be. Within a couple of years of retiring, before he could settle into a peaceful retirement, he was gone.

After many years of baking or steaming rich fruity plum puddings, we came to Australia, and here, it is much too hot for that – as Christmas is in the midst of a burning hot summer. And so I switched to Kulfi – an Indian icecream, and for this, I had to call my sister Maureen, and ask her for her easy magnificent recipe, all made with ingredients available in Australia.

A Christmas Meal That’s As Unique As You Are!

Christmas meals are always a great time to get together but if you’re in a multiracially blended family, the best way to make your holiday meal feel unique is by considering what your family’s various cultures have to offer.

Who knew I would love roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings? Only after my son in law Simon took over Christmas one year, and to tell the truth, I was a bit nervous, so I carried along my special biriyani. And there is a story about that biriyani too.. I call it Meena’s mother-in-laws recipe, because that is whose recipe it is, although I never met the lady. And talking of mothers in law, the accompaniment to biriyani is always a flaming red burning hot chutney with a flavour of honey, called, Mother in laws tongue – hot and sharp, and yet sweet and full of love. The trouble is that it always leads to the debate – is it a vegetable, mineral or sweet? what do you think?

On a practical note, I start prepping for the meal, at least a week in advance now, and sometimes earlier. Here is a little printable that you can use to make sure nothing is forgotten.

The Stories I Shared with You

I cannot really invite you all home for Christmas dinner, but I shared something much more precious with you, the stories that live on, even after the dinner is eaten.

What stories do you have to share?

A Dash of Adventure

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An Abundance of Christmas Gifts for You

Susan Jagannath — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 22:14:53 +0000

Christmas is perilously close, and I have been seriously remiss in not blogging or mailing much – mostly because, it’s that time of the year, to be giving and not selling. I had a rethink about my online presence, and this year, what I did was create an advent calendar, not chocolates, not coupons, but gifts of the abundant sort. There is a lot of great Christmas themed content out there, from “Twas the Night before Christmas”, to “A Christmas Carol” – there are public domain books, videos, and yes, even the bonuses that I create for the readers of my books – like the Himalayan Recipe book. Did you get any of these?

Here’s William’s list – I know its a children’s book, but isn’t this time all about memories of your own childhood, and about a Child.

You can still get these – the “locks” on the calendar will slam shut after Christmas, so go along and get them fast from this link.

An Advent Calendar of Books and Other Exciting Content

A couple of weeks ago, I was already dreaming of travel, but with the latest resurgence, I think it’s possibly better to delve deep into reading, writing and courses. You can find these on the calendar, that may not be too obvious Christmas reading.

There are also journals, planners, recipe books, and colouring pages for the kiddies – so check it out soon.

You will also find my books on there, for free or 99c – depending in the day when you click it open! Enjoy the adventures if you cannot travel, if you already have my books, share the link with someone who still hasn’t read any of my books – what? shock horror – have you not told everyone about my books?

Stand- by, and I am now beginning my Christmas cooking, so watch this space..

A Dash of Adventure

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