Say Cheers to Feni! 11 May 2008, 0000 hrs IST,TNN It's that time of the year again. The smell of feni wafting through the air, invites you to a sip of the heady brew on a hot summer afternoon. Goans love their feni as much as they do their spicy food.
And giving you just that, is Goa's Tourism Department alongwith Loungefly who are organising a day-long Feni Festival today. A midsummer's day with Goan street food like ros omlettes, choris pav, bhajjiyas and stock of feni...wow! That's not all, you will get to gulp down flavoured fenis and feni cocktails too! "The idea is to bring out the fun aspect of feni. It's a fun drink to be had with friends and family. Eat, drink and make merry," says Deep, the owner of Loungefly. Sourced from six villages, which include Valpoi, Cortalim and the entire Calangute belt, this drink will be served in various cocktails at the festival. And it is not only food and feni, but entertainment too that will complete the package. There will be stalls and a band playing throughout the day. Come night and Chef Vasquito will show his barbeque skills as one sways to the music and enjoys exquisite feni cocktails. However, amidst all the fun and frolic, the lovers of the brew, lament that feni is still referred to as 'country liquor' and it's high time that it break away from that tag. And this is precisely the reason why feni is enjoyed only in the confines of the home. Gurudatta Bhakta, Secretary, Goa Cashew Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association, says, "Feni, unfortunately, is not accepted by Goa's higher strata. If they do drink it, it is in isolation. We want people to feel proud of this local drink and when they are socialising, they should offer feni in place of Scotch whiskey." Efforts are on, he says. The Goa Cashew Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association along with the Science and Technology Department and Excise Department have applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) registration since 2007, a concept relatively new in India. Goa has 3,000 plus distilleries. Mac Vaz, proprietor of Madame Rosa's and President of Goa Cashew Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association says, "We had suggested that feni should be reclassified as heritage liquor or Indian-made Goan liquor." Gurudatta says they have already sent the proposal. "There's a gestation period of two months and then it goes on the Net seeking global objections. We are 100 per cent sure of getting this registration," he says. And if they succeed, Mac Vaz says, "Feni will be the first alcoholic beverage of India to get a GI registration." Formalities will be done at its own pace but till then, let's eat, drink and be feni! http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Food_Festivals/Say_Cheers_to_Feni/art icleshow/3028227.cms ~(^^)~ Avelino
