Adding a tangy twist to festive ‘Chaturthi’ cuisine in Goa

One of Goa’s biggest festivals — Ganesh Chaturthi or Chovath has arrived. And, if you want to experience the real buzz around this festival, then visit your local market, especially the vegetable market.

At this time of the year, it is decorated with all kinds of wild fruits, leaves, flowers, etc (which are used for the matoli) and also an array of seasonal and local vegetables.

One such vegetable which is in high demand during this festive time is ambadde or hog plums. These are sweet-sour oval shaped fruits, about the size of an egg.

APPEARANCE, NUTRITION, TRADITION

These are heavily used in the cuisine of Goa as souring agents. The thick skin of the fruit, or the pulp, is the tastiest part of the fruit. It has a nice tangy flavour, similar to raw mangoes.

There are two types or varieties of this fruit, found in Goa. The sour fruit variety is the wild or Indian variety (Spondias pinnata) and the sweet one which is fleshier, slightly bigger in size, and more fibrous is the Spondias dulcis variety. This dulcis variety is exotic and is native to tropical America.

Hog plums are packed with nutrients, rich in fibre and an excellent source of vitamin C. The fruit is also rich in iron and calcium.

During Chaturthi, the local or Indian variety of hog plums is used in Goan kitchens and is an essential in some traditional dishes prepared during the festive season.

These are especially important while the cooking leaves of colocasia, as they have alkaline properties which can cause irritation while eating. So, souring agents, like hog plum or kokum (Garcinia Indica), are added to get rid of that.

“On the day of Chaturthi, we make Aalu chi Bhaji (using colocasia leaves). For the second day, we make aamadyachi uddamethi (a sweet-sour dish with a flavouring of fenugreek seeds) and khatkhate.  And, for all these three dishes, aambade are a must,” says Anjana Amonkar, from Porvorim.

The fruit is also hung on the matoli, as it is easily available at this time of year. Many people also make a small fortune by selling these backyard fruits at festive time. 

The tree, especially the pinnata variety, doesn’t require much care and grows easily. 

“Some days ago, the rate in the market was Rs 100 for 10 hog plums. During Chaturthi, the cost even doubles. Also, this year, due to the incessant rains many crops were destroyed, and this impacts hog plums, too,” adds Anjana.

But, that doesn’t dampen the spirit of the festival, and people do not mind paying a little extra since the festival comes, but once a year, and Goans love to celebrate with pomp and tradition.

There’s also a huge demand for hog plums, and Anjana elaborates that for Chaturthi, the whole joint family of 50-odd members comes together, and thus, they require around 100 to 120 ambadde to make uddamethi.

Chaturthi, as we know, is also a celebration of seasonal biodiversity. And, what better way than celebrating through our cuisine.