When first coming to rest in Goa, tourists immediately see that the Goan public catering is very diverse. There are restaurants with a very high level of cuisine, taverns, cafes. But the most famous place to get a good meal is the Indian shakes on the beaches.
They are located on the beaches of Goa, near the Arabian Sea, right next to the coastline. These are small and simple structures, where there is a kitchen and a veranda with tables for visitors. There are a couple of cooks and a few waiters working at the shake.
What to try in Goa? There are usually at least two hundred items on the menu of Indian shakes: vegetable salads and soups, necessarily Indian national cuisine, tandoori dishes, seafood, sauces, condiments. The selection is wide and the prices are low.
Today, 1 Russian ruble is equal to 1.07 Indian rupees, i.e. they have practically the same cost. At the beach shakes, most of the prices of the dishes are fixed, i.e. It is not customary to bargain about their reduction here.
Cuisine in Goa
Russian tourists to this wonderful Indian state especially note the excellent, simple and sophisticated local cuisine, recall the seafood, fish, spices, vegetarian and meat peculiarities of Indian cuisine.
There is a wide variety of products and dishes. What to try in Goa? – It’s up to you to decide. We recommend that you be sure to go around to all the local eating establishments in the area. You will definitely be satisfied with most of the dishes in Goa.
The important thing is that in each shake the same dish is prepared in its own way, individually, by its own chef. Therefore, even with the presence or absence of spices and seasonings, the dish will still be a delicious exotic for the Russians to eat in Goa.
Food Prices in Goa
Remember that the closer the beach shake is to the sea, the more expensive the food and drinks it offers. This is an axiom that requires no proof. So choose a shake for your pocket right away.
The cost of food, various dishes and drinks depends on the level of the establishment where you choose to eat in Goa and other circumstances. According to tourist reviews in 2018, on average $10-35 per day was enough for food and liquor.
At the same time, the cost of fish in most cases is higher than other dishes, because. In India it is cooked whole. There is always a huge amount of seafood in Goa: shrimp, crabs, lobsters, etc.
And vegetarians are good at saving money on food. Their daily subsistence in Goa will cost them several times less because The selection of vegetarian dishes made from vegetables, fruits, cereals here is huge.
Beach shakes are preferred by “package” tourists. Vacationers who come to Goa for a long time, cook their own food, so they go to the local food markets and supermarkets. They get it cheaper by a factor of two or three.
Delicious fish and seafood dishes
You should know that the basis of the national dishes in Goa is fish and rice. River and sea fish and seafood in Goa – plenty.
Therefore, many local chefs cook in the beach shakes unusually delicious dishes of these gifts of nature:
- fried tuna or mackerel;
- fish baked in a tandoori;
- Tikka of fish;
- Thali of fish;
- calamari;
- gold shrimp, etc.
All of these dishes are served with vegetable salads, rice, pasta, or potatoes. Many fish steaks have signature sauces with a secret recipe. One steak costs about 120-140 Indian rupees.
Fish in tandoori
It is a whole fish (for example, mackerel) baked in a special oven – a large clay jug, on top seasoned with a sauce of chili peppers, which to Russians at first sight may seem extremely spicy.
The price depends on the size of the fish you choose to bake. The minimum cost is 100 rupees or more. You can catch your own fish in the reservoir indicated by the chef and give it to him to cook in the tandoori.
Fish Tikka
This dish consists of 8-10 pieces of fish marinated in an original marinade or sauce. Each shake or restaurant has its own, unique recipes for making marinade, so everywhere in India this dish is a different flavor.
The cost of Tikka starts at 130 rupees. It all depends on the size of the fish, the seller’s and buyer’s bargaining skills, and the size of your wallet. More often than not, the customer chooses a particular chef who makes the best marinade from his point of view.
Fish Thali
And this dish of mackerel (the Indian variety of mackerel) is perfectly prepared at home. Mackerel is cooked in a special batter, the secret of its preparation each hostess – individual.
Next, Thali is dressed with a spicy sauce, also one of a kind every hostess has. As a result, ordinary mackerel becomes a real delicacy, even though it costs 2 rupees a piece in the market.
Shrimp and squid
Seafood is abundant in this state of India, with even more dishes made from it. During a holiday in Goa, you can try everything, become a real gourmand, a connoisseur of lobster and other shrimp.
You can fry shrimp and calamari in batter and serve with a salad or fried potatoes. Shrimp cost about 160 rupees and squid about 140 rupees per kilo. The dishes they make are great.
The seafood in Goa is served with a special mayonnaise sauce with garlic, finely chopped fresh cucumbers, etc. The mayonnaise makes the dish very hearty and the other ingredients make it extremely tasty.
Popular foods in Goa
- Scones. They are eaten in India like bread in Russia. The tortillas cost 20 rupees in ordinary stores, and 40-60 rupees at promoted beach shakes.
- Milk. These products are in abundance here, you can even find favorite Russian kefir and cottage cheese. A liter of milk in a bag costs 40 rupees.
- Fig. It is the national product in India, and in the East in general. There are many kinds of rice in India. It costs from 70 rupees.
- Spices. Another national treasure of India. But finding a store that sells good spices is difficult. A lot of brightly colored packages for tourists with poor quality content.
- Fish and seafood. The price per kilo of this product can go up to 1,000 rupees and more, depending on its quality. Shrimp cost about 500 rupees, king prawns about 700 rupees, etc.
- Chicken. A popular meat in sweltering India, a kilo costs about 65 rupees. The chicken is slaughtered in front of the buyer, and he chooses it.
- Vegetables and fruits. In India, there is plenty of this stuff, so the prices of fruits and vegetables are extremely low. The tropical fruits are in particular demand among Russians, and they also cost a penny.
Fish and seafood prices in Goa
It is not customary to eat pork, beef, and mutton in India; only poultry is in demand. Varieties of fish and seafood here are many, and invented on their basis – even more.
Some gourmets come to Goa just for the fish and seafood, which are presented here in abundance. Most of the product can be bought at fish markets. If you want something exceptional, go far away from the tourist centers.
Lobsters can cost more than 1,700 rupees a kilo, other seafood prices start at 400 rupees. Don’t spare any money on them. They not only have an extravagant look, but also an extraordinary taste.
You can buy freshly caught fish and seafood at any fish bazaar in Goa in the morning. They have the most democratic prices in Asia, even in Vietnam and Thailand – more expensive. Prices are not fixed, they depend on the catch, the season, the particular fisherman:
- small shrimp – 430 rupees;
- medium shrimp – 630;
- king prawns – 1 100;
- calamari – 300;
- aculets – 350;
- lobsters – 1,500 – 1,700;
- mussels – 530, etc.
How are seafood dishes sold?
They have long been the hallmark of Goa cuisine. You will find fried fish, small shrimp, rice or seafood pasta and other common food at any beach shake for a fixed price. They cost no more than 250 rupees.
Individual dishes do not have a price, you have to negotiate with the chef in each case. You will be offered fresh several species of exotic fish (including shark), shrimp giant size, lobster weighing at least a kilo, live crabs, etc.
In search of a personalized meal, you can walk around several shakes on the beach until you find the right one. But in this case you can haggle, like in a real Oriental bazaar, to bring down the seller’s price by 2-3 times.
Dishes are served on silver metal trays. Even if you do not like fish, Goa is sure to become a passionate fan. Sea creatures in a beach shake in Goa will be cooked better than in a high-end restaurant in France.
