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Getting High On Feni - The traditional Goan drink
Goans are fun loving leisurely people. They really don't need an
 excuse
to party and make merry. The Goan spirit is embodied in relishing
on food and drinks. Alcohol is an essential part of life. So it
is natural that Goa should have a tipsy drink of its own. Feni
is a fearfully potent drink that is not only famous in Goa, but
also throughout the country and now it has also reached international
markets. Feni is so popular, that even domestic airlines flight
from Mumbai to Goa are known as "Feni Flights".
There are two types of Feni made from local agricultural produce.
Madachi Feni or Coconut Feni is extracted from the creamy
white sap  drawn
from the severed shoots of a coconut tree. Cajuchi Feni or Cashew
Feni is extracted from ripe cashew fruits during the season. Both
Cashew and Coconut plantations are abundant in Goan countryside,
which makes Feni available throughout the year.
In the villages toddy tapping is a centuries old occupation still
being carried out by the villagers. The toddy tapper identifies
the young coconut palms, marks and cuts the steps into the vertical
coconut tree. He cuts the veins of the young coconut buds and hungs
a earthen pot to the bottom of the bud. The sap is collected in
this pot is called 'Sur' in Konkani. Once enough 'Sur' is
collected it is fermented for a week or so and the distillation
starts.
The first distilled liquor known as 'Urrak', is very mild
at 10% proof. The second or the repeat distillation ends up in a
strong and hard liquor of around 35% proof, which is 'Feni'. The
process of distillation goes on throughout the year except in the
heavy monsoon when the humidity is too high.
Cashew feni is a seasonal production and distillation process  starts
at the peak of ripening of Cashew fruits. In summer when the cashew
fruits are ripe they are collected and crushed to extract juice.
The juice is collected in a large earthen pot and fermented for
a week. The first distillation process produces Urrak and the second
distillation brings out the potent feni.
Although feni is ready for drinking right after the process, it
is sealed for aging in huge terracotta jars and left to mature for
a couple of years. Many people enjoy drinking straight feni, but
it's good mixed with soft drinks. Urrak blends well with Limca or,
while feni tastes great mixed with Pepsi or Thumsup. Goans warn
their visitors about its potency and advice to take it easy. Feni
can hit real hard if you are on empty stomach or mixed with other
spirits.
Though brought in by Portuguese, feni has become so much part of
Goan culture that now people identify it with the state. Now it
is being marketed globally by manufacturers in the state. The good
news from Goa is that feni, the heady liquor that the state is as
well-known for as its ebullient politics, might soon become the
first fully Indian alcoholic beverage to be marketed globally. A
major distillery is reportedly planning to promote a deodorised
version of feni to compete with such internationally established
products like Japanese sake, Mexican tequila and French cognac.
The news is particularly heartening as it coincides with India
Inc gearing itself to negotiate advantageously at the forthcoming
WTO meet in Seattle. Though feni is unlikely to make waves
or even create ripples in the sober deliberations, it is a token
indication that Indian enterprise is beginning to show the right
spirit of initiative in the face of global competition.
So lets raise a toast for global feni!
Text and Pics by Levine Lawrence
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