Fatima da Silva Gracias is a historian with a doctorate in the domain of Indo-Portuguese history. But some of us know her as the author of the Cozinha de Goa books. “When I presented a paper called the ‘Trail of Aroma’ at an international seminar, many people suggested that I should write a book on Goan cuisine,” she says. While Cozinha de Goa — History and Tradition of Goan Food was published in 2011 (its third edition was recently released), her illustrated second book Cozinha de Goa — A Glossary on Food came out four years ago, digging into the names, origins and influences of the cuisine.
Gracias, who is in her early 70s, was not always interested in food, though. “My mother was an excellent cook. When I was a teenager, she kept encouraging me to learn how to cook, but I wasn’t interested.” However, when she lost her mother, Gracias stepped into the kitchen. “My mother left a book with recipes, but the measurements were in pounds, not kilos,” she laughs. Trial and error helped her perfect them. Today, she continues the tradition with her own collection of recipe books.
Gracias fondly remembers the food from her childhood, such as empada de ostras (oyster pie) and guisado de ostras, a stew with cubed potatoes and oysters that’s blanketed with semolina and baked. She makes them with local oysters for friends and family, using meats such as pork, beef and chicken (topped with mashed potatoes) when the molluscs are not in season. The Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (salted Portuguese codfish) with crispy potatoes and boiled eggs is a family favourite.
For someone who didn’t learn to cook formally, Gracias has a secret gift: “If I eat something slowly enough, I can figure out what’s in it,” she says. Who needs a recipe if you can do that?
“Cook meat dishes ahead so you aren’t overwhelmed on the day. Sorpotel, for instance, can be made a week in advance.”Fatima da Silva Gracias
The writer is based in Goa.
