Most people must have experienced various types of drinks worldwide. If you’ve visited Goa, you’re likely familiar with its renowned beverage, “Feni,” and probably consumed it too.
Ever wondered how the famous Goa drink is made, and enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike? The more unique the drink, the dirtier the traditional process of making it.
This beverage is derived from cashew fruit. Feni is exclusively crafted using fruits that have naturally fallen to the ground once they ripen. In the early morning, a group of individuals gather these cashew fruits from the orchards. Afterwards, the cashew nuts are separated from the fruits, and the latter are then sent for further processing. The fruits are pressed underfoot to extract the juice by crushing the flesh.
This unique drink is crafted in the villages of Goa. In these traditional communities, they lack automatic machines to extract the juice, so they used an old traditional method of using their own feet to squeeze the juice from the fruits. However, since not all the juice can be extracted this way, the leftover crushed fruit pulp is gathered and placed under heavy stones and left for 3 to 4 hours. Squeezing the juice from pulp creates Neero, a refreshing non-alcoholic drink.
The juice of the cashew fruit undergoes a three-stage distillation process, transitioning from Urac to Cazulo, and finally, to Feni. Following fermentation, the juice is poured into a mud pot known as a codem. A fire is lit beneath the codem, and the juice is boiled. Subsequently, distillation and condensation with water take place. The initial vaporization results in the first Urac. In the second distillation, the process is repeated, leading to the production of Feni.
During the first Urac stage, the alcohol content becomes 14 to 15 per cent stronger than the original juice. However, in the second distillation, the Urac is further enriched, reaching a potency of 32 to 35 per cent. This unique and traditional drink is meticulously prepared through these steps.
Feni, Goa’s famous drink, can be enjoyed over ice, mixed in classic cocktails or with juice, and often served with a lemon slice and sugar syrup. It is also commonly mixed with cola, tonic water, and lemonade in pubs. Being familiar with the process of crafting Goa’s renowned feni beverage, would you like to drink it?
