Keeping alive the Goan Pau.

                  

The bread in Goa is more than just an element of food; it is an insignia of the most talked about Goan virtue of hospitality. People in Bombay love to take a jibe at Goans, by nicknaming them as ‘Pau’, simply because they cannot do without their staple diet. Wherever you travel in India, you will never find bread like the Pau of Goa.

The most unenviable part of the snack is it indifferent taste, that is likely to induce you to condemn it as un-edible. However this plainness allows you to dip it in any curry or gravy and enjoy that tangy experience. The Pau allows you to diffuse yourself,very much like the culture of Goa which is so open and available to the multi-national attitudes and likes. What makes the Pau so distinct?

“The Pau has a very important stage of ‘fermentation’ which gives it that unique test and texture,” states Gracy Sequiera who got married soon after her schooling to help her husband in the family business, that has been running for three generations in Socoro.

However, besides the zymological procedure, there is another important aspect that makes the bread inimitable. “The wood or mud oven, locally known as the ‘Forn’, is also responsible for the unique taste,” reveals Juliet Dias, who comes from a family who has been ancestrally associated with the traditional bakery in Nuvem.

Mrs. Dias further unearths the secret, “The breads are baked on the floor of the oven. The effect of baking it on the earthen tile floor gives it a texture and bakes it uniformly.” Patience seems to be the key here, but it is this leisurely process that is more often than not being associated with the easy going unruffled nature of Goans.

The Pau has always played second fiddle. It has allowed itself to be cut and stuffed with meats and veggies. Legend has it that the art of baking bread with toddy as the fermenting medium was passed down to the people of Utorda-Majorda,in coastal South Goa. Locals from this village who mastered the skill further migrated to bigger towns and cities enhancing their business.

In recent times, the traditional business venture has been facing a lot of hardships like the lack of labour. “Man power is less. It is indeed a cumbersome task. One has to work next to a hot oven, wake up in the wee hours of the morning and compromise on proper sleep,”points out Mr. Sequiera who considers himself very fortunate to have found the ideal life partner. “She’s been a great help, ever since we got married and she helped me lift up the business, which was in the dumps due to domestic problems. I am fortunate to fall in love with someone who could be the perfect mother at home and a partner and support at work.”

When asked as to what was the reason as to why the new generation bakers hesitate to invest into baking bread, Juliet echoed a similar sentiment. “It is time consuming and since families are now nuclear, there is need for morel abour,” he further elaborates “Earlier,there were more children so we could venture into the business, now everyone wants to get into a big pay careers.”

Every other food item has its value soaring but the local bread has been struggling to survive in an inflated market. “Bread gives you less margin for a profit. Confectioneries made from the same measure of ingredients like patties give us a bigger profit margin,” clarifies Gracy, adding that“Government should grant schemes to purchase raw materials like ‘maida’.

So why is it preferred to other categories of bread? “Slice bread falls apart easily when you eat it with a gravy dish, the Pau on the other hand blends with the dish,” opines Gracy. This view is further seconded by her husband. "There are also less health problems. Eating slice bread that is 3 days old is like consuming poison due to thepreservatives used to keep the bread fresh.”

On the other hand, the Pau is arguably fresher and naturally baked. There is another healthier option of the ‘Cuniachi Poee’ which is a whole wheat bread, made of locally grown  wheat ground in the flour mills. The husk of the wheat is deliberately used to enhance is dietary value, making it the ultimate source of nutrition for diabetics.

Besides the Unddo(regular shaped Pau) and the Poee, there is also the Katre Pau(butterfly shaped) and the Pokshe (slit at the center). Man cannot live on bread alone; thus bakers venture into other bakery items like the kankna (doughnut shaped toast, which) is a tea time specialty that was very popular among kids in the last century. For generations now, Gracy and her husband have been baking a special Portuguese delicacy called 'korpial'.

The Bol– a rich specialty made for weddings – is a type of sweet bread made of wheat flour, toddy, coconut, jaggery and ginger. “No pre-nuptial party ends without this sweet,”stresses Juliet, also reminding us of another version of the treat. “There is the sweet Bol which is another favourite snack among those who sip an evening tea.”

The most adorable virtue of the Pau is its ability to bring smiles and warm up the lives of the people. He is your alarm in the mornings and nap-killer in the evenings. Whether it be the chilly mornings or the rainy evening, the podder comes home to deliver us our daily bread. We salute all those families who strive hard and work selflessly to keep the legacy of the ‘Pau’ alive. We also hope that the authorities concerned will pay heed to their cry for help and aid them to reap benefits from their traditional business. Long Live the Pau!