Traditional Goan Liquors

SU180381
TRADITIONAL GOAN LIQUOR –

URRAK AND FENI
Table of Contents:
 Introduction
 Types
 Method of preparation
 Consumption
 Medicinal uses
Introduction
Feni is an alcoholic beverage that is univocally associated with Goa.

It is endemic to the state of Goa and is brewed by the local
communities in Goa.
It has been brewed here for at least the last 400 years.
The word ‘Feni’ has evolved from ‘Phena’, a Sanskrit word, meaning
froth.
Feni uses two primary ingredients for the two varieties. These are
coconut and cashew. Each of these is a major ingredient that is
required in the respective preparations.
Feni has become so fundamental to Goa’s culture that over
the years, it went from ‘brew’ to ‘heritage brew’.
From farmers of Konkan villages crushing cashew apples
with their feet and distilling the feni in old-fashioned
earthenware pots to elite feni festivals of today where
connoisseurs debate for hours on end.
Different types:
 Feni in its current form is a product of fermentationof

the juice of either crushed Cashew Apples or, from the
extract of toddy palms.
 Coconut Feni is thought to be an older product than
Cashew Feni, since Coconut palms were widely
cultivated long before the Portuguese, who introduced
Cashew plants to India, made landfall.
Preparation
 Locals(you lot) would tell me that brewing the perfect

pitcher of cashew feni is more of a science. Each
ingredient has to be added in the correct proportions.
 Even a slight deviation can lead to significant alterations
in the taste and this is the reason why so much caution is
exercised while brewing the drink.
 The first step is the selection of fine cashew apples. The
best apples for the drink are those that have ripened on
the trees.
Preparation
 Deseeding follows and the entire batch of cashew apples

is placed at a ‘colmbi’. This is where the smashing of
the apples takes place.
Preparation
 Stomping is carried out vigorously to extract the juices

from the fruit. Subsequently, the juice is passed through
a vine and stored in earthen pots created specifically for
the process.
 The pots, called “Kodem” are stored in dug pits for upto
three days at the end of which the fermentation process
is completed.
 The fermentation product is called the ‘neero’. The
beverage is then distilled using a traditional pot called a
‘bhatti’.
 Neero’ is boiled in three separate stages. In each stage, the
concentration of alcohol increases. The products of the separate
stages are ‘urrak’, ‘cazulo’ and finally feni.
 Urrak is generally about 15% alcohol, whereas Cazulo is about
42%, and this is again distilled with urrak to give Feni, which is
about 45%.
 Note that cazulo is generally sold as "feni", as the spirit is
considered too strong of an alcoholic beverage for
consumption. All cashew feni now available is double-distilled.
Consumption
 Feni cocktails are immensely popular, especially with

tourists.
 Firefly Goan Bistro Bar in Benaulim has over 30 types
of feni cocktails on offer.
 Among the most popular and well known are Cazulo
Capitao and Tambdé Rosa.
 Naturally, it is sold commercially and is highly sought
after.
Medicinal/Alternative Uses
 This powerhouse brew has endeared itself to the locals

with its medicinal qualities – it can heal a cold, act as an
antiseptic, is a fantastic food preservative and is used as
an additive in many food products.
 It is used to bring down the body temperature for people
running fevers.
Bibliography
 Revati. (2017, January 12). 3 Fun Ways To Drink Feni.
Retrieved from https://
www.whatshot.in/goa/3-fun-ways-to-drink-feni-c-1511
 Interesting Facts about Feni Drink of Goa in India. (2015,
November 9). Retrieved from
https://www.indianeagle.com/travelbeats/feni-drink-of-goa-in
dia
/
 Goa Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://
www.goaonline.in/about/tourism/how-kaju-feni-is-made
 Rodrigues, Eunice. P.
Dev Borem Korum

Traditional Goan Liquors

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SU180381

TRADITIONAL GOAN LIQUOR –

Feni is an alcoholic beverage that is univocally associated with Goa.

 Feni in its current form is a product of fermentationof

 Locals(you lot) would tell me that brewing the perfect

 Deseeding follows and the entire batch of cashew apples

 Stomping is carried out vigorously to extract the juices

 Feni cocktails are immensely popular, especially with

 This powerhouse brew has endeared itself to the locals

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