5 days, 4 nights
Duration

Our Goan Cooking Tour will introduce you to the cultures and food that make this distinct and delicious cuisine. We’ll spend time visiting spice plantations, cooking meals, and of course, eating. A part of this tour will feature an introduction to North Indian cuisine as well, an important point of comparison to help understand the uniqueness of Goan cuisine.

Goan cuisine consists of regional foods such as rice, seafood, coconut, vegetables, and local spices. The cuisine is a fusion of its Hindu origins and four hundred years of Portuguese colonialization. Goa is located in a tropical climate along the west coast of India on the shore of the Arabian Sea, its famous for its stunning beaches and relaxed culture. Goan food is considered incomplete without fish. A Cooking Tour in Goa is the perfect combination of relaxation and hands on learning. You’ll return home with a plethora of delicious recipes to remind you of your adventure.

TOUR DATES

Independent Travel

TOUR COST

A$1290 per person on twin share
A$550 single supplement
* No fixed departure – price based on minimum 2 people

DURATION

5 days, 4 nights

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Beautiful Bogmalo beach
  • Visit to local market
  • Cooking classes
  • Tour of the Spice Plantation, Goan Ancestral Musuem, and the Goa Chitra Musuem

TOUR ROUTE

Goa

MAP

Goa Cooking Tour

Additional information

DestinationIndia
Day 1

Welcome to Paradise!

Pick up at the Goa Airport and transfer to your accommodation at Bogmalo Beach (approximately 10 minutes). The rest of the day is yours to explore your surroundings, stroll on the beach, relax under a palm tree, and take a deep breath. Welcome to paradise! Overnight Bogmalo Beach
Day 2

Cooking Class

Your taxi will pick you up for cooking school at 8:45am. Today’s class will run from 9:30am to 4:00pm. The class will include a classic South Indian Breakfast – Dosa, Uttapam, Idli, Chutney, Sambar. After breakfast leave for a Farmers Market to learn about the regional vegetables, fruit, seafood, and spices unique to this part of the world. After your tour you’ll return to your cooking school to start your first class. Today you’ll learn about Xacuti ( a curry of white mustard seeds and coconut), Cafreal (a chicken dish originally from Mozambique), Recheado (stuffed fish), and Caldin (a non-spicy fish curry). Throughout the class, you’ll learn about the history of Goa and its Portuguese colonization. This is a hands on class that combines demonstration with preparation along the way. As a finale, you’ll be introduced to different Goan sweets including Dodol (made of rice flour and milk), and Bolinhas (coconut cookies).

Overnight Bogmalo Beach

Day 3

Bogmalo Beach

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up for a tour of the Spice Plantation, Goan Ancestral Musuem, and the Goa Chitra Musuem. The plantation tour will pass through rice paddies and coconut groves as you learn about the cultivation methods of local spices and their uses. Spices cultivated on this plantation include cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, and black pepper. You’ll also learn about how bananas and pineapple are grown and cultivated.

Lunch will be outside among the lush flora and fauna of the plantation. After lunch, we head to the Big Foot Museum, which showcases a model Goan village. If time permits, we’ll tour a traditional Portuguese style house.

Our day ends at the Goa Chitra Museum. The museum houses a large collection of artefacts and showcases the rich agrarian history of this region. We’ll return to the hotel post. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Overnight Bogmalo Beach

Day 4

Bogmalo Beach

Today is Day 2 of your cooking class. Today’s class will run from 9:30am to 4:00pm and include a traditional North Indian Breakfast of stuffed parathas (flat bread filled with potatoes and cauliflower), tomato chutney, poha (flattened rice with peanuts), and Paneer Pakoras. Today’s lesson will focus on learning how to prepare North Indian cuisine. You’ll notice the contrast between the Goan cuisine previously prepared and the north Indian dishes. Heavily rooted in dairy, north Indian food relies heavily on turmeric, coriander, and a spice mix called Garam Masala. Coconut is nowhere to be found here.

For lunch we prepare a North Indian feast of Butter Chicken, Malai Kofta, Biryani, Kheer (a sweet dish of rice and milk). You will have a brief introduction to the cultural context of the food. Your meal will end with a lesson on the many preparations of tea including local medicinal uses.

Transfer to your hotel. Overnight Bogmalo Beach

Day 5

Departure

Transfer to the Goa Airport for your onward journey. We hope to see you on an Ekno experience again, soon.

INCLUDES

Pickup and drop off at Goa Airport
4 nights’ Accommodation and private facilities
Breakfast and lunch days 2-4
 Breakfast Day 5
 Cooking school and tours Day 2-4
 Transfers from hotel to cooking school.

EXCLUDES

Airfares to and from Goa
Visas
 Lunch and Dinner unless where stipulated
 Extra activities and transport not stipulated in the itinerary
 Personal expenditure such as drinks, laundry service and souvenirs
 Tipping
 Compulsory insurance of any kind

Goan Cuisine