Fish curry-rice is ‘spirit of Goa’, say stakeholders; welcome govt decision for its mandatory serving at beach shacks

Visitors need to be made aware of the traditional Goan cuisine, they said, adding that this will also help in promoting food tourism in the coastal state.

Panaji: Fisherfolk and a shack owners’ body have welcomed the Goa government’s decision to make it mandatory for beach shacks to serve ‘fish curry-rice’, saying this food reflects the “spirit of Goa”.

Visitors need to be made aware of the traditional Goan cuisine, they said, adding that this will also help in promoting food tourism in the coastal state.

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Goa Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte on Sunday said shacks on beaches will now have to mandatorily serve ‘fish curry-rice’, along with other Indian and international cuisines. “We have to project our rich cuisine to tourists,” he said.

The compulsory inclusion of the coconut-based preparation, savoured for its tangy and spicy taste, in the menu is part of the state’s new Shack Policy that aims to promote the Goan cuisine, Khaunte said.

Till now, shacks along the shoreline offered North Indian food, but Goan dishes were not available at these places, he said. The government has now made it compulsory for shacks to “display and serve” the Goan food, including fish curry-rice, the minister said.

“Fish curry-rice is the spirit of Goa which we need to introduce to all visitors arriving in the state,” fisherman Francis Fernandes from South Goa, locally known as Pele, told PTI. He said the state’s traditional food has been made part of the tourism industry through the Shack Policy, which is a welcome step.

“Tourists should know about the traditional Goan cuisine,” said Pele, who shot to fame when UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murthy earlier this year took a ride in a boat owned by the fisherman at the Benaulim beach in South Goa.

Shack Owners’ Welfare Society (SOWS) president Cruz Cardoso said they are willing to abide by the rule.

“We are happy that the Goan cuisine, and specially fish curry-rice, will be served at the shacks. This will help us introduce food tourism to the visitors,” he said.

All the shack owners should abide by the government’s rule, said Pele, who in November last year showed traditional fishing techniques to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and later served him cooked fish at his place.