Goa is not just about sand, sun and lovely virgin beaches, or about Hippies and G-strings. Nor is it about the ever-flowing booze… OK! I’m lying….it may be a reason. But actually Goa is more about the culture, about the people that make it a hot tourist spot. Nowhere in India will you find a local populace so accommodating, carefree and tourist-friendly — a perfect blend when you are on a holiday. I still remember my first visit to Goa; I was asking for directions and two locals started an argument on the best and easiest way to reach my destination. Finally it was setteled with one of them accompanying me to show me the way to my destination. I don’t think anywhere else in India will someone go out of their way to help you… but this is Goa… you get help from least expected corners.

From my personal experiences I can tell you that homestays is Goa is the best option that any tourist – both domestic and foreign – can actually opt for if they believe in spending some time as a Goan – carefree, cheerful and accommodating. Homestay in Goa will also help you to visit, know and learn all about the colourful cultures of Goa which is nowhere to be seen. No hotel stay can bring you closer to all this fun as a homestay will.

Above that, Goa is about the food. The list of Goan cuisine goes on and on and still you seem to have the appetite for more.

GOAN CUISINE:
Yeah its cusine…Oh! nothing can perhaps beat the xacuti and Sorpotel. The Goan cuisine is a blend of different influences that the Goans had to endure during the centuries. The staple food in Goa is fish and rice. All the more reason why I love Goa.

If in Goa, act like a Goan — enjoy the food, drink and be happy. I’m really grateful to have a Goan as a friend. Although it’s very difficult to get him to talk about topics other then himself — he is a poet — when it’s about Goan food, he can really leave your mouth watering and your taste buds titiliating. His discription of the colour of his mother’s vindaloo gravvy and the smooth texture of the old Goan Bebinca leaves me envious and cursing for not being a Goan.

Now, for the sake of tourists, many beach shacks and restaurants present these very same food lightly spiced, or without spices at all. This food is generally either fried, grilled or cooked in garlic sauce. Traditional Goan cooking methods, however, generally involve meticulious seasoning.

Here is a list of some of the most popular Goan dishes:

Sorpotel: A spicy recipe which rightfully has its own fan base and most of the time is the centre of meal-time conversation in any Goan celebration. It is said to have originated by the Portuguese and Goa carries on the tradition. Another mouth-watering delicacy made of pork is the sarpotel. A curry with a thick gravy to the layman, this exotic concoction comprises boneless pork, liver, heart, kidneys, red chilies, cinnamon, cloves bathed in tangy toddy vinegar, which is needed to balance the strong taste of pig’s blood: another traditional ingredient of this revered dish.

Vindaloo: The interpretation of the origin for this word-vinho for wine, alhos for garlic (Portuguese), viande, and aloo-meat and potato (French and Hindi). It is usually referred as “The king of curries.” It is a spicy concoction with plenty of red chilies, garlic, cooked with chunks of meat, Goa vinegar, hard palm jaggery, and is best enjoyed with plain boiled rice. The Vindaloo style of cooking is of Goan origin and is essentially a fiery-hot “sweet and sour” style curry. It can be cooked with any meat, be it chicken, pork or mutton. This dish involves a few more spices than usual. The combined aroma of freshly roasted cinamon, mustard seed and cloves is heavenly.

Balchao: Fiery as all Goan dishes are, balchao is almost like a pickle and is usually served with hot plain boiled rice. The red, rich gravvy comes from the whole spices like cumin and dry red chillies and a little sugar which are soaked in vinegar for a while and grounded into a thick paste. Ideally the usual stone and pestle is used to keep the flavours intact. Meat, shrimps, fish or prawns are most commonly pickled in this mix for a couple of days and then cooked into a dry dish. Because of the preservative qualities of the sauce, balchao can be cooked in advance and reheated up to four days after preparation.

Racheiado: The undeniable Portuguese influence can be seen in this dish of racheiado. This is a delicious preparation in which a whole fish, usually a mackerel or pomfret, is slit down the center and stuffed with a spicy red sauce, after which it is cooked normally.

Caldeirada: This is a mildly flavoured offering in which fish or prawns are cooked into a kind of stew with vegetables, and often wine is added to get a more consisstent and accommodating flavour.

Cabidela: You will not find any other dish which has strong Portuguese influence than Cabidela. The Portuguese name is Arroz de Cabidela (Cabidela rice). This dish adopted by Goans, particularly by the Catholic Goans, is a Portuguese dish made ideally with chicken. After the chicken is killed, it is hung up upside-down, so the blood may be captured as it drains out. The rice is then cooked together with the meat and the blood of the animal, imparts a greyish-brown colour to the dish. My personal advice: though it seems yuccky, it tastes good. I have tasted its variation with eel and is a good energizer.

Caldinha: This is a metro stew but with a local flavour. Usually served with boiled rice, its vegetarian version in a concoction of fresh assorted vegetables cooked in coconut milk, garlic, ginger and green chillies. While fish Caldinha is prepared by cooking any fish in a thick milk-like extract made by grinding a list of ingredients that include: green chillies, flakes garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, pepper corns, cinnamon, turmeric powder, tamarind and scraped coconut.

Bebinca: If you haven’t tried bebinca, then your trip to Goa was just a waste. And if you just had an stompous Goan meal this is the best dessert to calm your senses down. This traditional rich Goan dessert is a must have at any celebration. Making Bebinca requires patience — a layer can only be added when the one below it is cooked — but the end result is well worth the effort. Traditional Bebinca has 16 layers, but you can make as many as you like. The ingredients include plain flour, egg yolks, sugar, ghee and coconut milk. This desert is baked, in a specially made clay oven, with hot coal as a source of heat, placed above. Ideally before being served, butter or margarine is spread and sugar is sprinkled over the bibinca. It is typically served with grated coconut. Now you don’t even have to go through this labourous process of making bebinca. Ready to eat bebinca is available in leading confectionaries across the state.

Seafood: Goa is famous for its seafood, the ‘classic’ dish being fish curry and rice. With the variety and range on offer, combined with the skills of the local cooks, there is a list of mouthwatering choices. Kingfisher is probably the most common item, on the menu, but there are many others including pomfret, doumer, shark, tuna and mackerel. Among the excellent shellfish available are crabs, prawns, tiger prawns and lobster. Other seafood includes squid and mussels.

Breads: In the early hours of the day, bakers regularly do the rounds of each village in Goa, pushing bicycles laden with fresh bread. There are several types of local bread. From small round crusty rolls to steamed rolls made with rice flour, ground coconut and coconut toddy. These breads are ideal to eat with any of the spicy Goan dishes.

Goan cuisine is a complicated one. Traditional Goan cooking requires plenty of muscle and time. Grinding is always part of the recipe and the nicer the dish, the longer it takes to make. For instance the Xacutti masala, which is a famous Goan preparation for chicken, mutton and vegetable dishes, has 18 spices roasted individually and ground together.

If you are in Goa then don’t forget to give these dishes a try. You can take it from me: they are worth trying!

Unusually cold weather in northern India has been blamed for at least 46 deaths in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and others in Kashmir and Punjab. Mosques in the valley said special prayers. Schools in Delhi were closed until January 13th because of the weather. More than 1 million children stayed home. The temperatures reported in (the normally warm) low-lying areas were around the freezing point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

On January 26, according to a Times of India article, India’s financial capital Mumbai reached a low temperature of 10.8 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 45 years. Amritsar was the coldest place in Punjab with the mercury tumbling seven notches below normal to settle at a low of minus 1.6 degrees C. Frigid temperatures in Punjab and Haryana forced residents to light bonfires.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country increased by over 12 per cent in 2007, but India’s share in the total tourist movement in the world amounted to a mere 0.5 per cent, a top tourism official said today.

“Foreign tourist arrivals touched the five million mark and the foreign exchange earnings were 12 billion dollars last year,” Tourism Secretary S Banerjee told reporters here.

He said the increase in the number of foreign tourist arrivals was to the tune of 12.33 per cent while the rise in foreign exchange earnings was 34 per cent in dollar terms.

“Notwithstanding these impressive figures, we still find that India’s share in the world tourism is still not what it should be. India’s share of the total tourist movement is less than 0.5 per cent. Of the revenue generated from tourism worldwide, India’s share is 1.11 per cent,” Banerjee said.

Moreover, he said, while worldwide tourism’s contribution to the GDP is 8.6 per cent, in India it is about 6.8 per cent.

“We need to do much more than what has been done before. We have identified certain areas where work needs to be done, especially sprucing up the infrastructure,” Banerjee said.

Indian tourist arrivals will increase more than 20 per cent with the launch of the Ramayana Trail in India by Sri Lanka Tourism, Chairman Convention Bureau, Prema Cooray said. The Indian arrivals last year were 102,000.

Ramayana was successfully launched in Bombay, India. “The event was a major success and we would soon launch a special five-day package for the Indian market,” Cooray said.

He added that there is a growing demand for this product especially from families and senior citizens. He also said that the presence of the two newly appointed Tourism Ambassadors, Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda De Silva also helped the promotion. “We will have another promotion in March,” he said.

Director General Ministry of Tourism S. Keleselvem said that they have identified many places of interest for the Ramayana Trail and a series of training programmes would be launched for guides, travel agents and hoteliers on selected sites for the program.

Tourism Ambassador, Aravinda De Silva said that India is an important market for local tourism and they are pleased to assist the country.

“There should be more recreational facilities for children in Sri Lanka,” he pointed out.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Faizer Mustapha said that they would invite Tourism Ambassadors, Ranatunga and De Silva for future tourism promotions such as World Travel Mart in London next November. (SS)

Punjab, the land of five rivers and integrated cultural history, is a treasure trove for an avid tourist. There is no dearth of breathtaking palaces, for Punjab was the seat of royalty, as the imposing Quila Mubarak will tell you. Museums galore and so are the religious places with the Golden Temple offering succour to the mind and soul of any one visiting.

However Punjab is not just about great places of tourist interest. Punjab is more about its people — friendly and most accommodating. The hospitality one will experience in Punjab is perhaps unparalleled with any other place across the globe.

For this land of the great gurus not only boasts of ancient monuments but throbs with historical embodiments. It is no secret that whoever comes to this land of yellow fields with blue mountains providing the romantic and picturesque backdrop has never gone back without imbibing the essence of Punjab.

And to experience these, the best option is to opt for a homestay. It’s said that ‘when in Punjab, act like a Punjabi’….eat, dance, sing and be happy. This is the mantra that makes the Punjabis the most content people in India.

However if you are a wild life freak, then too Punjab can take you on a tour of the sanctuaries, which are hot favourites with migratory birds. Since this state borders Pakistan, there are two main posts from which you can peep into the land that was once an integral part of Punjab and experience the feelings of the people separated by a line.

The much truncated India’s portion of present Punjab is divided into three natural regions: the Majha, the Doaba and the Malwa.

History of Punjab:
Punjab, a region in Northern India, has a long history and rich cultural heritage. The region has been invaded and ruled by many different empires and races, including the Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Afghans, and Mongols.

Around the time of the 15th Century, Guru Nanak Dev founded the Sikh religion, which quickly came to prominence in the region, and shortly afterwards, Maharaja Ranjit Singh reformed the Punjab into a secular and powerful state.

The 19th Century saw the beginning of British rule, which led to the emergence of several heroic Punjabi freedom fighters. In 1947, at the end of British rule, the Punjab was split between Pakistan and India.

Punjab — Land of Ancient Civilizations and Epics:
Punjab is the cradle of the Indus Valley Civilization, more than 4000 years old. Archaeological excavations, throughout the state, have revealed evidences of the magnificent cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, which lived and died along the banks of the mighty Indus and its tributaries. The Mahabharata, which narrates life between the 7th and 5th century BC, contains rich descriptions of the land and people of Punjab at that time.

The Vedic and Epic period of the Punjab was socially and culturally very prolific as during this glorious period, the people accelerated in the fields of philosophy and culture. It is believed that parts of the Ramayana too, were written around the Shri Ram Tirath Ashram, near Amritsar; and it was in these forests that Lav and Kush grew up. Kaikyee belonged to this region.

The authors of Vishnu Purana and the Shiv Purano belonged to the central Punjab. Other great historical discoveries have been unearthed at Ropar, Kiratpur, Dholbaha, Rohira and Ghuram. These relics throw light on the culture and changing architectural styles of Punjab, since the Harappan age.

At Sanghol, in Fatehgarh Sahib district near Ludhiana, sites associated with great Mauryan Dynasty, have yielded remarkable relics that record the presence of Buddhism in the region.

Fairs & Festivals of Punjab:

The festivals in Punjab have always been celebrated with much exuberance and fanfare. For the masses these festivals are popular occasions for social interaction and enjoyment. The festivals of Punjab have one common objective of bringing people together to participate in the happiness of the occasion. The important festivals and fairs celebrated in Punjab are:

Gurupurabs:
Literally festivals, Gurupurabs are anniversaries associated with the lives of the Sikh Gurus. The Sikhs celebrate 10 Gurpurabs in a year. At each of these festivals, one of the ten gurus of the Khalsa Pantha is honoured.

Of these the important ones are the birthdays of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh and the martyrdom days of Guru Arjun Dev and Guru Teg Bahadur. Prabhat Pheris, the early morning religious procession that goes around the localities singing shabads (hymns) start three weeks before the festival. The Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs) is read continuously from beginning to end without a break for three days.
The festivals of Punjab have one common objective of bringing people together to participate in the happiness of the occasion. The important festivals and fairs celebrated in Punjab are:

Punjabi Cuisine:
Punjabis have the reputation of being the greatest producers of good food and being the still greater consumers of it. Punjab has bequeathed the institution of Dhaba-originally a wayside-eating joint to the world. The Dhaba moves wherever a Punjabi goes. There are vaishno dhabas where only vegetarian food is cooked in pure ghee or clarified white butter. Dal Makhni, a shining blackish lentil named Urd or Maha of the Dhaba has become world famous and is served in Punjab on all ceremonial occasions.

Pranthas, stuffed with seasonal vegetables, fried on a pan, baked in the tandoor, a barrel shaped oven fashioned out of alluvial soil, curds, sometimes mixed with khoya-a kind of fudge made by boiling the milk on slow fire-with chunks of white butter floating on top; spinach of mustard mixed with other leaves and special tongue-tingling spices which is cooked in an earthen vessel on slow fire and chappatis made out of the flour of maize, panir-cottage cheese-stuffed with different sumptuous fillings have also become commodities of export.

The saffron-mixed buttermilk (lassi) of Amritsar, milk boiled with almonds, pistachio and dry-dates in winters and the same mix boiled into a thick liquid and then solidified in a banana shaped mould in the form a Kulfi are unmatched in taste. Panjiri, whole-wheat flour fried in sugar and ghee, heavily laced with dry-fruits and herbal gums in eaten in the winters to ward off cold.

The Bazaars of the towns of Punjab are always loaded with sweetmeats, seasonal fruits and other foodstuffs. It will need a handbook to describe all the savories of Punjab. Old towns like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala also manufactures exotic sherbets. Punjabi fried and tandoori-baked fish, tandoori baked and butter chicken, kababs baked on charcoal, Patiala’s Shahjahani Palao and a variety of chicken and mutton curries and vegetable and meat baryanis are relished the world over.

The British were astonished to see, when they conquered Punjab that on the periphery of every village there was a special Dera or Takia where hospitality was offered to every wayfarer. Even today you cannot come out of a Punjabi home without having had enjoyed its hospitality. There are denominational institutions all over Punjab, specially the Sikh historical gurudwaras where free board and lodging is offered through out day and night.

Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. It is widely popular however there is some ignorance in Western Cultures that Punjabi is cuisine is completely curry based. The level of spices can vary from minimal to very prevalent. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream with home cooked concentrating on mainly upon wheat masalas (spice) flavourings. Though wheat varieties form their staple food, Punjabis do cook rice on special occasions. During winter a delicacy, Kheer is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.

Within the state itself, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes, which are exclusive to Punjab, such as Mah Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag). The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi speciality especially for non-veg dishes.

Hallmark of Punjabi cuisine:
Punjabi cuisine revolves mainly around different types of pulses, beans or lentils. Some of them are:

* Dal makhani (Mah di dal)
* Dal maharani
* Dal amritsari
* Lobiya (Black eyed bean)
* Rajma (Red kidney bean)
* Choley (eaten with bhatoora or naan)
* Punj ratani dal (mixtures of 5 lentils) etc.
* Saron (sarson) da saag te makki di roti

These are generally soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours and gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor (A clay oven of the shape of a horizontally sliced pot) along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf).

These are then combined with a tangy masala base, which could include tomato or dried mango (aam choor powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The character typical to the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape is retained intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste.

Dollops of cream and butter provide for the rich finishing touch. Garnishing is usually with shredded coriander leaves and juliennes of ginger.

Other very popular Punjabi snacks/ cuisine:

* Samosas
* Shahi Paneer (Butter Chicken, but chicken replaced with Paneer (Indian Cheese)
* Tandoori Chicken
* Tandoori Fish
* Paneer Pakora
* Pakoras
* Jalebee
* Gulab Jaman

Breads:
The Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways:

* Baked in the tandoor like naan, tandoori roti, kulcha, lachha paratha
* Dry baked on the tava (Indian griddle) like phulka or chapati, jowar ki roti, baajre ki roti and the very famous makke ki roti (these are also smeared with ghee or white butter)
* Shallow fried like paratha, aloo or mooli paratha
* Deep fried like puri and bhatoora (a fermented dough)
* The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations including seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka.

Having said that anyone who has visited Punjab will agree that staying with a local family or opting for Punjab Homestay can ensure the experience of a lifetime.

So you know where to stay when you visit Punjab next!