What you didn’t know about Goa's delicious ‘poee’

The regular poder and the variety of simple, yet delicious, local breads are something we take for granted. But, there so much that goes into baking these breads and so that can go wrong in the bargain.

Baking is not just a traditional profession in Goa – it is an art that demands patience, precision, and above all, focus. Every loaf of bread, every flaky puff (locally known as pattice), every cake, and every biscuit carries the efforts and skill of the baker behind it.

Bakers do not merely prepare products — they serve warmth, comfort, and a taste of local tradition through every bite. Many people assume being a baker is easy until they step inside a bakery kitchen. In reality, baking feels no less than rocket science, especially to a beginner. Unknown to many is the fact that a slight mistake in measurements, calculations, temperature or timing can ruin an entire batch of baking.

Turning the pages of recipe books is never enough to become a baker. One must stand through the heat of ovens, get covered in flour, and spend hours perfecting techniques through failure and experience. To truly become a baker, one must learn the language of dough, yeast, and fire.

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

The challenges faced by bakers are endless. They work long hours, often beginning well before sunrise. Maintaining consistency every single day is nothing short of challenging because even weather and humidity can affect the dough. Bakery items also have a very short shelf life, which means that one failed batch can result in huge losses of ingredients, time and effort. Yet bakers continue because baking is more than a business — it is a passion.

Take puffs (pattice), one of Goa’s favourite snacks, for example. Behind the crisp bite of a hot puff, lies flaky layers of hard work and precision.

Bakers fold and roll the dough multiple times to create the perfect texture. Flour flies across tables, clothes, and hands while the baker patiently works through countless layers. If even one layer is folded incorrectly, the texture fails completely.

Then there’s poee, the traditional bread that has now become an essential dinner item for many Goans, especially diabetics. Though simple in appearance, poee requires skill and a specific timing to turn out just perfect. The dough must be kneaded properly and left to ferment for the right amount of time. A slight mistake can make the poee hard, flat and dry instead of soft and airy.

Cakes are among the most loved bakery items in Goa, especially during Christmas. Rich fruit cakes filled with dry fruits and flavours bring a special touch to the festive celebrations.

Yet, cakes are perhaps the most complicated products for bakers to master. Incorrect measurements, uneven mixing, or wrong baking temperatures can completely ruin the texture and taste. The beautiful cakes on display often hide hours of stress, preparation, and even mishaps behind the scenes.

Biscuits, too, come with their own struggles. Goan evening snacks like nankatai, Bournvita biscuits, and nipad require their fair share of patience and consistency. Achieving the exact shape, perfect crunch, and balanced flavour takes time and skill to perfect.

When it comes to baked items, even a few extra minutes in the oven can change everything. From dough to display, every bakery item is a story of effort, failure, creativity, and determination. So, the next time you see a traditional Goan bread, rest assured that a lot of precision and calculations went it getting it just right for the consumer to relish and enjoy.