In Goan homes, a sweet ritual is practised on the first of August every year. People begin the month by eating something sweet, typically made with coconut and madachem godd (black palm jaggery)—a mixture called godd chunn. It contains two ingredients found in abundance in the state: jaggery and coconut. The belief is that having this delectable combo will ensure the month ahead is pleasant.
A popular sweet something made with this mix is patoli (patoleo for plural)—a Goan monsoon classic with turmeric leaves, rice, ghee, coconut and of course, sugar. Many versions of patoli are found across the Konkan coast, where it goes by different names like the elaada in Kerala whose mix is steamed in banana leaves; and the manjal irre dha gatti of Mangaluru.
Monsoon brings out a wide variety of seasonal greens in Goa that grow wild in forests and in people’s backyards. One of the most beloved of these is turmeric leaf, which comes to life for a brief period and can be plucked only in rainy season. This leaf is the star of the patoli, whose popularity has much to do with the Goan habit of eating seasonal foods. Many of Goa’s monsoon festivals, which are religious coincide with the harvest season and thus, are abundant in Goan bounty: fresh rice and turmeric leaves.
A typical patoli is made with local rice that is soaked overnight and whipped into a paste, the pyramid-shaped black jaggery (some use regular jaggery) for colour and a chocolate-like sweetness, freshly grated coconut, and turmeric leaves for fragrance and flavour. There is cardamom for freshness, and sometimes, nuts. The rice mixture is spread on turmeric leaves, followed by a layer of the coconut-jaggery fusion after which the leaf is folded. The patoleo are steamed for a few minutes.
Patoleo are made by all communities in Goa; you could call it a secular dish. It is made in Catholic homes to commemorate São João—the feast of St John de Baptist on June 24,the feast of Our Lady of Assumption, celebrated on August 15, and on Konsachem Fest—a harvest festival that coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Snows Church in Raia. In her book, Cozinha de Goa: History and Tradition of Goan Food, Dr Fátima da Silva Gracias writes, ‘in early August areas like the village of Taleigão celebrate the harvest feast (Fest de Novidade). The priest goes to nearby fields to bless the new sheaves of rice on a day of thanksgiving for a good harvest’. To celebrate the new harvest, Goan villagers make a variety of sweets like patoleo.
In Hindu households, the delicacies are made on Nag Panchami because they believe that the nag devta doesn’t like fried food; hence the steamed versions. The curved shape of the leaf resembles a snake Patoli is made during Ganesh Chaturthi, too. On the second Sunday of Shravan, patoleo is served as naivedya: a sweet offering to the God. It is also made on the first day or tai/tay; the tay patoli is offered to Goddess Gauri/Parvati without the filling. Turmeric leaves are used to decorate the maatt or matoli, a structure of local greens and fruits that surrounds the Ganpati idol In the old days, patoleo was steamed in a copper vessel called the compfro or konfro. Today, people use an idli cooker.
Unsurprisingly, for a beloved sweet, there are different methods of preparing patoleo. In some cases wheat flour is used instead of rice; cane sugar instead of black jaggery; some add chana dal (split gram) to the mixture; some use the leaf’s original shape while others cut it uniformly. Some even grate fresh turmeric on the leaves and the mixture for extra fragrance. A partner dish of the patoleo is dhonne or holle, which incorporates the typical sweet mixture, which is filled inside a jackfruit leaf shaped like a cone.
The patoleo has a cocktail version, made with Cazulo Premium Feni’s coconut feni, jaggery syrup, turmeric leaf extracts and coconut feni, and served in a coconut shell or kotti.
Goa’s ‘festival man’, Marius Fernandes, believes making patoleo for the regional festivals is a dying tradition. Hence he launched Patoleanchem Fest in 2006 to revive this sweet piece of culinary heritage, train the younger generation to learn old recipes, and get people to plant turmeric in their homes. The annual festival is held at Socorro Church grounds and visitors get to eat patoleo for free. The free-spirited Goans celebrate their sweet tooth as a homage to their scrumptious culture of feni and food.
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