By Jasmine Kaur
The greenish chicken curry that is an important part of Goan cuisine today, was once a foreign dish but where did it actually come from?
Known as Frango a Cafreal, the dish was originally an Afro-Lusitanian chicken curry prepared by the slaves of the Portuguese colony in Mozambique.
It is believed that the sailor, Vasco da Gama brought chicken cafreal to Indian shores through the western coast, from where the Portuguese entered India.
The 16th century influence of Portuguese in Goa was quite prevalent and since they were so fascinated by the dish, Vasco Da Gama offered it in exchange of spices and other ingredients.
The characteristic green hue comes from a thick paste of cilantro, ginger, garlic, pepper and a host of spices that is used to marinate the chicken before being grilled.
It is believed that the idea of this green masala as well as technique of frying the chicken was introduced by Goans, adapting it to local flavours with their own touch.