========================================================================
You can post to GoaNet. Send in your views and comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
========================================================================
I have as a Goan always been fascinated by the chilli (sometimes referred
to as chilli pepper). What a pleasant sight and colour it has. It has become
an essential part of our diet but I have seen its reproductions used as
jewelry. Before the advent of the Portuguese, our diet was mild and the only
ingredient that gave our food a zest was pepper. Without the chilli in our ‘
Voodoo' ceremony or Disht we would have never banished the evil eye. The
chilli is finally thrust into the fire and the resulting explosion indicates
its efficacity.
Walk into a Goan field in the dry months, browse around in the garden
of any Goan household and you will find a few ‘innocent' chilli plants, some
grown expressly to satisfy the needs of the house owner and others the result
of accidents that have sprouted from the droppings of birds that repose in
the branches around. The colourful varieties decorate the interior of our
houses. I was once attacked for stating that the chilli was like many of our
present day plants, the result of the discovery of the Americas. One ought to
remember that the ‘punishment' dealt to all who have tasted the chilli as
Moctezuma's revenge. Moctezuma was the Aztec ruler of Mexico when it was
known as Tenochtitlan now known as Mexico City. My adversary was a Goan as
usual who informed me that chillies came from Kashmir as we, in India, had
Kashmiri chillies and my response was that the Irish also had Irish Potatoes.
Little knowledge is a dangerous thing I felt, and I moved on in life.
Today, I learn that the chilli sauce has overtaken tomato sauce
on the tables of America. Before this stage, Asians had slowly mixed chilli
and tomato to prepare a sauce sold as Hot Tomato Sauce. In Singapore,
Malaysia and Indonesia and many Pacific Rim countries a hot tomato sauce is
bottled and sold.
The strength of the chilli is dependant on the latitude (and
sunshine) and I have noticed that the Chinese for example and even the
Indians use more chilli depending on how close they live to the equator. I
once lived with a family from Karnataka who used green chilli in their
chapatis and I never suffered from constipation. I will assume with certainty
that the Chinese from the far north do not know what chilli is as the climate
will not be conducive to its growth and hence its consumption.
Chillies are found in three forms, green, red and dried and all
three forms can be conserved in the form of a pickle or a sauce. Hot dried
chillies are high in vitamins A and C. Fresh chillies however contain more of
these nutrients. I have known a Goan in the UK who ate chillies as an
aphrodisiac. Every chilli should be marked with the words ‘Handle with Care'.
Capsicum, the heating agent found in the essential oil of hot peppers, is
extremely painful when it comes into contact with the eyes and those
sensitive parts of the body. It is very irritating and one wrongly rushes to
find solace in water which is not the solution. It can attack the skin of the
hands. The best advice is to wear gloves when handling chillies. Use oil for
the hands and use bread when the mouth burns. Without this severe result of
the chilli, what would frighten a Goan boy who calls others Dukkor? Goan
mothers have been known to rub the mouth of kids using expletives by
threatening them with a forcible taste of chilli. Imagine our choricos or
sausages without the use of chillies?
We Goans like most Indians have been hooked on the long, thin
green chilli always seen in a vegetable stall. But West Indians would never
touch them as their favourite chilli is the Scotch Bonnet, a roundish and
shriveled variety that is full of flavour and taste. One sees it in green,
yellow or flaming red varieties. The Mexicans are fond of the Jalapeno and
the Chipotle which is the same except that they are mature red Jalapenos and
very hot. They can be bought in cans. Other varieties are the Ancho which is
a reincarnation of the Poblano chill. The colour ranges from oxblood to
almost black. It is about 4 inches long and three inches wide. It has a full
chocolate like flavour and is slightly hot. America's favourite is the
Anaheim which comes in different varieties including New Mexican and
Califonia. This long slender and lobed chilli is usually eaten fresh and is
found dried in ristras which are decorative strands of dried chillies. They
are mild to moderately hot. I recently bought a dried variety marked Chilli
Mulato. One can also pickle the chilli.
I once visited a market in Lisbon where I saw huge quantities of red
fresh chillies being offloaded and on enquiring, I was told that they were
used to make a chilli sauce called piri-piri and my mind was drawn to the
word Pilli Pilli we used in Swahili in Africa. It is no surprise that the
Portuguese are accustomed to hot food from their colonial experiences. These
small and tiny peppers are a delicacy of parrots and other birds who like
cats and dogs know what to eat to avoid constipation. I am told that Cafreal
(kaffir is the Arabic word for an infidel from which we get the word Khapri)
is an African recipe and its main ingredient is chilli and a favourite on the
menu of Goan restaurants. I brought two bottles of Palm vinegar from Goa and
in one I added about 50 of these peppers and the vinegar is mildly hot.
Pequin are tiny chillies the size of mouse droppings and considered
the hottest chillies. Then there is the Cascabel which are shaped like little
tomatoes in their fresh state and turn when dried into fat little cones or
bullets with a brownish-red translucent skin. The word means jingle bells in
Spanish. An appropriate name for the sound they make when dry. Alarm-bell
hot. Then there are the chipotle which are Jalapeno chillies and brownish-red
in colour. They have a unique smokey flavour and are very hot. I have heard
the peppers which are referred to as sweet peppers also referred to as bell
peppers. One general rule to follow is the size of chillies - the smaller
they are the more 'explosive' like little waifs in small packets.
I understand that a town in New Mexico considers itself the chilli
capital of the world where they specialize in growing chillies that are half
a meter long. Tabasco is a state in Mexico but the sauce is made in the US
with other ingredients.
How to use them: Dried chillies can be powdered in a mortar and pestle
or in a food processor and can be stored in a refrigerator for longer life.
To reconstitute roast whole dried chil;lies in the oven or a dry frying pan
and soak in hot water for 30 minutes.
I am fond of the Kashmiri chilli and have them dried and powdered in
Goa which I use for cooking as they add a very red colour to the food and are
not very hot. For Goan sausages, I would recommend the use of chillies grown
in Aldona as they are known to be ideal for sausages. One could mix chilli
powders to suit the taste.
WARNING: The author does not accept liability for any adverse effects
from this condiment. Any aggressive action will be met with a doze of pepper
spray a favourite weapon of policemen to control mobs of unruly citizens.
----------------------------------------------------------
What's On In Goa:
* Oct 16-27: Vipasana meditation, Alto Porvorim
* Oct 24-26: Intl conf on trends in hospital care, Cidade de Goa
* Oct 25: Bookings start for CellOne, BSNL's cellular service in Goa
* Oct 25-27: International conference of Drug Info Assn, Mariott
* Oct 26: 100 Years of the Nobel Prize, lecture, Science Centre, 11 am
* Oct 26-Oct 30: Painting exhibition, Kala Academy art gallery.
* Oct 28: Panjim Passport Office shifts to new EDC Complex premises.
* Oct 29-31: Sale of polytechnic trainees garments, Govt Polytech, Panjim
* Oct 29-31: Films on architect Le Corbusier, Goa Col. of Architecture
* Nov 1-17: Swimming classes for children, others. SAG pool, Fatorda
* Nov 1: Antonio Costa's painting exhibition, Fundacao Oriente 6.30pm
* Nov 4: Book release, Fr NJ Mascarenhas' on Dr Gama Pinto, Saligao
----------------------------------------------------------
