Bakers from goa

Goa
Goa is unlike any other state of India. It is
the smallest state of the country and
Panaji or Panjim is its capital. It has a
unique international atmosphere and
layering, which is seen in its festive
atmosphere and becalming halo. Goa
was a Portuguese colony for centuries,
from about 1510 until 1961, and this has
left behind strong traces of foreign power
here.
Bread is one of the few states in india where bread
plays a centera l part in a meal forv most goans, a meal
is not a meal without bread, preferably fresh bread.In
fact, poi can be a meal in itself,with fresh salad
vegetables,protien,and squars of the kodai cheese (
found in stores everywhere).One can live by bread
alone here, threr's so much variety. There's the soft
and chewy paio,the crisp,ndo,katre pao (scissored
bread) , kakon(bangles shaped)and my favouriate, the
poli(with hollow pockets like pita, dsted with bran).
Breadmaking was introduced in Goa by the Portuguese (
pao is the Portuguese word for bread). Traditionally,
poders — as those skilled in breadmaking were known
— were mainly from the Catholic community from the
villages in south Goa. In the past, every village had its
bakery, or bakeries. Baking was a family tradition, with
the skills and recipes handed down through generations.
Today, many bakeries are facing closure due to social and
economic changes like the lack of skilled labour and a
largely uninterested younger generation.
Bakers of goa
1. In olden times Bakers were very important in the
lifestyles of Goans. 2could be found in part of Goa. In
Goa the bakers come twice a day.
2. In gobakers were known as paders .Some of them were
friendly to kids
3. The paders were a traditional baker's dress known as
the kabil . It was a single long piece frok .It breached
down to the knees.It is somewhat similar th the modern
short pants
4. The payment of bakery used to collectat the end of the
month. At that times it was considered a profitable job.
5. The undo or pao came to be such an essential part of a
Goan breafast that there came a time, towards the end
of the Portuguese rule, when every village had its own
local bakery.

6. The village baker was always respected and referred to

with affection in Local circles.
The Goan bread is one of the delicacies that
everyone craves for. The bread is an integral
part of the Goan eating habit, be it for
breakfast, for evening tea or for some
occasion in the house the bread is always
seen on the buffet table. Earlier the people
living in Goa had a diet which comprised of
roti, chapatti, idli, sambhar, a diet quite
similar with that of South-India. When the
Portuguese invaded the coasts of Goa they
brought with them various types of dishes
ranging from sweet to savory delicacies. The
Portuguese also brought in bread which was
called as pao.
 Earlier method of baking Pao
The first Goan pao were quite unique. They were prepared by
using local toddy, locally known as sur, as a source of natural yeast.
This gave the bread a distinctive character that is quite impossible
to replicate with any other kind of yeast. This mixture was then left
for fermentation for 2-3 hrs. The pao is baked in wood-fired mud
ovens, locally known as forn. According to Peter Fernandes, the
proprietor of Dalima Bakers at Colva stated that the pao which was
prepared with the mixture of toddy in it used to last over a period
of 5-6 days, because of this durability of the bread it could be
consumed as toast or even used to make bread crumbs which was
used to fry fish•
.
the poder who puts in his hard-work so that
every Goan can get the taste of the delicious
bread. In-order for the bread to reach the
masses, the baker gets up during the early
morning hours, prepares the dough and then
cuts the dough in the desired shape puts it in
the furnace. When the batches of breads are
out of the oven the poder rolls out with his
bicycle on the streets of the villages. Earlier,
before the bicycles came into picture the
poders used to go door-to-door with a basket
consisting of bread on top of their head and
carried a bamboo in their hand consisting of
metal rings, when banged on the ground
would create a sound that would herald the
arrival of the poder.
The business done by the poders in
those days was based on the
foundation of trust among each other.
The bakery was being shared by 2-3
bakers, where one would run the
bakery for a period of 3-4 months and
then hand it over to the other. The
poders consider St. Honore (Saint
Honoratus of Amiens) as their patron
saint, whose feast they celebrate on
16th of May every year. In every single
locality of every single village or town,
there is a bakery that churns out a
variety of Portuguese-inspired bread in
at least two batches every single day.
The bread is eaten mostly with gravy
dishes, such as bhaji, chicken xacuti; but
it always tastes better when eaten with
overnight kept fish curry. In the poiee-
pocket, one could stuff sauted
vegetables, or take it to a meaty level
with Goan sausages or minced meat. The
various types of breads are priced at
Rs.4/each. These are available in markets
all over Goa and also with the poders
selling it in the villages.
The three main varieties of Goan
bread are the soft and chewy pão
(cube), the crisp undo (round), and
the poie (whole wheat pockets). CHEWY Kaknam
The undo is delicious dipped in hot PAO
tea, but it goes especially well with
xacuti. Another intriguing form is
what is known as katricho pão (lit.
POIE
scissored bread) where the dough
is shaped with scissors. Then there
is the kaknam (lit. bangles), rings
of crusty bread, so called because KATRICHO
they tinkle like glass bangles when PAO
fresh out of the oven.