The Goan Diaspora series #2: Clyde DSouza & Mervyn Maciel
Informal interview series getting to know Goans from around the globe
Hello friends!
Welcome back to another edition of Yesterday’s Curry, my newsletter in which I document my ongoing research into Goan cooking, the cuisine of my heritage. A big thank you to everyone who read last week’s newsletter about my recent trip to Goa. This post brought in over 200 new subscribers so hello to all the new members of this substack community. Everything I do from now on will be updated here (as well as instagram) so don’t forget to subscribe if you aren’t already. Without further ado, let’s get on with today’s newsletter.
My aim from the outset with this newsletter has been to connect with Goans from around the world. I don’t just want to share my own story with everyone, it is really important for me to understand more about Goan cuisine through talking to members of the Goan diaspora and learning more about them and their cooking and eating habits. The Goan Diaspora interview series started in October with British-Goan student Gillian Gracias and this week I am back with a double bill - interviewing two amazingly accomplished Goan men, both of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting in person after first connecting online. Join me as I get to know a little more about Clyde DSouza and Mervyn Maciel.
If you’ve been reading my newsletter for a while you will definitely be aware of my good friend Mervyn, and if you are new here, you can read more about our first meeting here. Many of you may also be aware of Clyde DSouza, the author and host of the hugely successful podcast “Susegad stories from Goa” which I will link below. I first heard about Clyde when I saw his book on instagram and bought myself a copy straight away because it looked so pretty. I decided to gift the book to Mervyn because I knew how much he’d like it, so immediately went and bought another copy for myself. On my recent trip to Goa I had the pleasure of meeting Clyde in person at the wonderful Feast in the Fields event hosted by Hansel Vaz and The Goan Kitchen. It seemed only fitting to put these 2 interviews together and I thought it would be nice to do these interviews in pairs as a way of differentiating people’s cooking and eating traditions and preferences.
1. Please can you tell me a little about yourself?
Clyde: I'm an author of 3 published books, the latest being Susegad The Goan Art of Contentment. I am also host of Susegad Stories From Goa Podcast. I'm on a journey of exploring, discovery and sharing the story of Goa.
Mervyn: My name is Mervyn Maciel. I am 93 years old, a retired individual who previously worked in Kenya and latterly in the U.K. in a managerial capacity. I have had an interesting career in Kenya which later prompted me to publish two books, here in the UK of my East African adventure.
2. Do you currently live in Goa? If so, whereabouts? Please could you tell me a little about the region you are from?
Clyde: I live in Mumbai with frequent trips to Goa. I am from Candolim, a beach side town in the Bardez Taluka of North Goa. It is now popular amongst young party goers and tourists and often bustling with activity. It was home to the infamous Vijay Mallya who used to have the Kingfisher Villa there.
Mervyn: No - I live in Britain.
3. Are there any dishes specific to the region in Goa you are from? If so, could you tell me a little more about this?
Clyde: Candolim per se doesn't have anything specific that I know of.
Mervyn: From my childhood days in Goa, dishes that come to mind are our traditional sorpotel complete with sannas, spicy Goa sausages and so much more - not forgetting our “Kalchi Kodi” or “Yesterday’s Curry” - every Goan’s favourite!
4. If you do not live in Goa, could you tell me a little about your Goan heritage and what it means to you to be a member of the Goan diaspora? What region do your family come from, and do you visit often?
Clyde: My family is originally from Colvale, also a town from the Bardez Taluka in North Goa. Notable people from Colvale are Abbe Faria (whose father hailed from Colvale, and mother from Candolim). Colvale used to be the home of late designer Wendell Rodricks. I remember that as a child I used to walk with my Mom to the Chapora River tar and buy fresh bangdas which we then stuffed with finely chopped onions and red paste masala.
Mervyn: Although I’ve lived in East Africa and now in England, I am a thorough bred Goan who loves everything Goan. I am proud to be Goan. My family come from Salvador do Mundo, a region of Bardez, North Goa.
5. What is your relationship to Goan food? Did you grow up eating traditional Goan cuisine?
Clyde: I grew up eating my maternal grandmothers Goan food. Some of my favourites were ambot tik (sour spicy) shark fish curry, sorpotel and dodol which she used to cook in a large cauldron for Christmas. My comfort go to food is Goan cuisine and I'm a sucker for any kind of seafood curry and fried fish. The ingredients that make Goan food sing for me are vinegar, coconut, kokum and tamarind.
Mervyn: I love Goan food and enjoy cooking it too. While in Goa during my youth, I enjoyed a variety of Goan dishes which my grandmother used to prepare without today’s mod cons. Some years ago, my late wife(Elsie) published a Goan Cookery Book, the first of its kind to be published in Britain. It proved very popular both here and abroad.
6. Do you cook a lot of Goan food? If so, what is your favourite dish to make, and could you tell me a little about this dish and what it means to you and your heritage?
Clyde: I do. My favourite dish to make is ambot tik curry. The masala consists of kashmiri, bedgi chillis, tamarind, kokum, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric. My nana added a dash of Goan vinegar to it and normally cooked a shark fish with it. Food is like time travelling, and this dish takes me back to childhood memories of eating fresh food with ukde tandul (par boiled) Goan rice. My favourite dish to eat is Bangda Recheado stuffed with chopped onion and prawn and bhindi caldine curry.
Mervyn: I do cook Goan food - my favourite being our traditional “xitt-kodi”(rice & curry). I also cook pork, fish and also poultry dishes - my favourite being ‘stuffed mackerel’ and an unbeatable chicken xacuti. Can’t forget the variety of our vegetables like okra(lady fingers) tendlim etc. I love cooking these. And what about our fruits -mangoes, jackfruit, cashews etc. What a great feast!
7. How would you describe Goan food to someone who has never tried it?
Clyde: Wholesome and Hearty. Spicy and tangy. If you like bold flavours Goan food is for you.
Mervyn: Unlike some of the “fiery Indian dishes”, Goan dishes have a distinct flavour and taste, especially the meat dishes usually fortified with wine!
8. What is your viewpoint on the representation of Goan cuisine around the world?
Clyde: Much of the focus is on the Portuguese influenced curries like cafreal, recheado, xacuti, but there are other cuisines like Saraswat (which have some great veg dishes, wild olmi mushroom, tambdi bhaji, khat khate) and even lesser known tribal cuisines that can be found near the Sahyadri region of Goa. Would be great for these to also be promoted. I think Chef Avinash Martins, Oliver of The Goan Kitchen and Kokni Kanteen are some folks who are making an attempt at highlighting these.
Mervyn: As a result of tourism, Goan food is becoming more popular. But I can’t stand our food being “bastardised “ and made out to be Goan. If you want traditional Goan food, you’ll find it in a Goan home.
Thank you so much to both Clyde and Mervyn for taking the time to answer my interview questions and I hope that has shed some light on the eat and cooking habits of two Goans who live on opposite sides of the globe. For my non Goan readers amongst you, I hope this has given you an idea of some Goan dishes you may not have heard of before. For those interested, some resources about Clyde and Mervyn below:
Clyde: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clydedsouzaauthor Book: Amazon UK Amazon India Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts
Mervyn doesn’t have social media but if anyone would like to donate to the fund of his late wife Elsie(whom you can read more about here), you can do so here: Elsie Maciel Memorial Fund
I’m currently on the lookout for more interviewees, so please email me at emmadinizryan@gmail.com if you are interested in being featured!
Until next time,
Emma x