Nolan Mascarenhas is on a quest to rekindle the spark of Goa’s original bread makers and the centre stage to his endeavour is the Poder
Nolan Mascarenhas an award winning photojournalist, writer and blogger, has curated ‘The Poder Chronicles’, which is a simulated effort to take Goan breads and marry them to multi cuisine offerings with a hint of localisation to allow flavours to merge and create something unique and fulfilling. An ode to the old and way forward for the new.
Nolan elaborates on the idea behind The Poder Chronicles. “In my formative years, I chanced upon a quote by Louis Bromfield which said, ‘Bread is the king of the table and all else merely the court that surrounds the king. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables and the salad, but bread is king.’ Growing up in Goa, this was synonymous with most households that asked for their daily bread and rice to oscillate for choice between meals.”
As time passed on, cultural adaptations descended upon Goa and part of the culture slowly and steadily took a backseat. During the lockdown, the fabric of mere human existence was put to the test with many businesses shutting down and some finding it hard to revive as the economy opened slowly.
While the art of baking bread in the local bakeries was slowly dying, many of our ‘Poders’ (Goan word for bread men); is synonymous with the blue tarpaulin sheet on his basket as he cycles though villages blowing his horn to serve Goan breads, sweets and freshly baked biscuits. Of late, the traditional poders are struggling to make ends meet.
Newer formats of foreign breads and hipster chic trends engulfed many cafés that opened up altering the culinary tapestry of our fair State. While it was well received, many of our classic favourites were thrown into obscurity only to be known generically as ‘Poie’ by folks who visited Goa.
Nolan continues, “Thus, a mission was undertaken one fine day when I traversed the length and breadth of many busy streets to find a multitude of Shawarma and Momo joints overtaking the ethos of what we were used to as street food – our Cutlet Pao. Sure it adds a hue to a vast multi-cultural bonhomie, but what about showcasing the uniqueness of our State in our produce to one and all? Thus came to rise (pun intended) The Poder Chronicles.”
After careful identification and study it’s a simple format of bringing to life Goa’s star products, a multitude and variety of breads locally sourced and produced. What does it do for Goans? It keeps alive tradition, hopefully with backward integration keeps the economy buoyant and last but not least, makes Goan breads as cool as the Italian and French ones such as the ‘Focaccia’, ‘Ciabatta’ and ‘Croissants’ in their own way. Let’s not forget the vast degree of health benefits minus preservatives.
The Plan for ‘The Poder Chronicles’ is as follows
A monthly pop-up is initiated on a rolling calendar with each establishment.
Stage 1 has Nolan along with the establishment of choice identify their local bakeries and through an outreach program initiate economies for the consumption and sale of the Local Goan Bread. This helps them support the local ‘Poder’ and bakeries.
Stage 2 has Nolan and the establishment of choice curating the menu as per textures of the breads. Each one is a different step from the next, so it’s exciting to see how they work out in a global format with hints of local cues.
Stage 3 has partnered establishments become part of a larger academy to pass on recipes and knowledge through the system between each other.
Inspiration comes in various forms. new recipes, new menus and more bread sold to promote Goan culinary culture to locals and tourists alike, thus bringing more of Goa onto the national food map.
“We started off the project with Antares and now the calendar is rolling with new creations and ideation coming in daily for the coming year. Every once a month a new menu of 5 items will be added to the existing list below,” Nolan concludes
