Every morning, the silence in the sleepy villages of Goa is broken by the familiar toot toot of the poder’s cycle horn. He is the lad who delivers freshly baked local Goan pao breads to every household in the neighbourhood. The hot square Pao, the small, round Undo and Poi…all wrapped up in a basket strapped to a cycle.
a young poder pao delivery boy goa
This traditional bread, Goan pao, has been introduced to Goa, by the Portuguese in the 15th century. The locals have been trained in making the bread that catered to the many Portugese families living in the villages, and has continued as a family trade since then. Pao is bread in Portugese and has over time become a Goan staple, complimenting many spicy local curries like Sorpotel and Balchao.
There are very few traditional bakeries left in Goa, one of them being the Pereira bakery in Caranzalem, Goa. I first met Vincent Pereira at his bakery, across the street from my father’s house in 2013 and the long snaking queues outside the bakery at breakfast and dinner time, are proof to the bakery’s popularity.
The bakery was started 150 years back by Vincent’s grandfather, and Vincent started out as a young poder (pao delivery boy) and now manages the bakery with the help of his son Alfred, who is pursuing a career in hotel management. He hopes his son could continue the work after him, but is also aware of the reality.
He still bakes the old fashioned way in wood fired kilns. Each morning, his boys start the day at 4 am to fire up the large mud kiln with wooden logs and heat it up to the right temperature.
Depending on the weather conditions and humidity on each day, Vincent prepares the dough each day carefully to get the right consistency. A little too wet or dry, can completely change the way breads rise. The final Goan pao bread has a soft, fibrous texture and mild sour flavor when it’s hot, much like the sourdough bread of the West.
Pereira bakery pao being baked goa
The earlier practice of hand kneading made way for this automated machine, which can knead larger amounts of dough in a shorter time.
The dough then gets rolled into various shapes and sizes for the different breads. The pao is first to be baked, the rounds placed close to each other in baking tins.
Pois are made of whole wheat and the dough is rolled out separately and patted by hand into required shape. This bread is preferred by many, because of its health benefits.
goan pao being baked
The hot poi is then pulled out of the oven with wooden spatulas specially made for the job. Undho bread, which is made without salt for the diabetics, is hugely popular too, but made in smaller quantities. So are the crispy Kankan (named so because of their bangle shape) which are popular at tea time.
goan bread the crispy Kankan
All the bread made at Pereira bakery for the day gets sold out by lunchtime and the process starts all over again in time for dinner. Vincent in his younger days had the opportunity to head overseas in search of better job, but he chose to stay back to continue the family legacy. There are fewer of these bakeries around the small villages each year, but as long as the tradition goes on, the treats continue to warm our hearts.
http://www.inspiredtraveller.in/this-is-an-absolute-must-do-in-goa-for-every-foodie/
a young poder pao delivery boy goa
This traditional bread, Goan pao, has been introduced to Goa, by the Portuguese in the 15th century. The locals have been trained in making the bread that catered to the many Portugese families living in the villages, and has continued as a family trade since then. Pao is bread in Portugese and has over time become a Goan staple, complimenting many spicy local curries like Sorpotel and Balchao.
There are very few traditional bakeries left in Goa, one of them being the Pereira bakery in Caranzalem, Goa. I first met Vincent Pereira at his bakery, across the street from my father’s house in 2013 and the long snaking queues outside the bakery at breakfast and dinner time, are proof to the bakery’s popularity.
The bakery was started 150 years back by Vincent’s grandfather, and Vincent started out as a young poder (pao delivery boy) and now manages the bakery with the help of his son Alfred, who is pursuing a career in hotel management. He hopes his son could continue the work after him, but is also aware of the reality.
He still bakes the old fashioned way in wood fired kilns. Each morning, his boys start the day at 4 am to fire up the large mud kiln with wooden logs and heat it up to the right temperature.
Depending on the weather conditions and humidity on each day, Vincent prepares the dough each day carefully to get the right consistency. A little too wet or dry, can completely change the way breads rise. The final Goan pao bread has a soft, fibrous texture and mild sour flavor when it’s hot, much like the sourdough bread of the West.
Pereira bakery pao being baked goa
The earlier practice of hand kneading made way for this automated machine, which can knead larger amounts of dough in a shorter time.
The dough then gets rolled into various shapes and sizes for the different breads. The pao is first to be baked, the rounds placed close to each other in baking tins.
Pois are made of whole wheat and the dough is rolled out separately and patted by hand into required shape. This bread is preferred by many, because of its health benefits.
goan pao being baked
The hot poi is then pulled out of the oven with wooden spatulas specially made for the job. Undho bread, which is made without salt for the diabetics, is hugely popular too, but made in smaller quantities. So are the crispy Kankan (named so because of their bangle shape) which are popular at tea time.
goan bread the crispy Kankan
All the bread made at Pereira bakery for the day gets sold out by lunchtime and the process starts all over again in time for dinner. Vincent in his younger days had the opportunity to head overseas in search of better job, but he chose to stay back to continue the family legacy. There are fewer of these bakeries around the small villages each year, but as long as the tradition goes on, the treats continue to warm our hearts.
http://www.inspiredtraveller.in/this-is-an-absolute-must-do-in-goa-for-every-foodie/
