Pav from the Nau: India’s Portuguese Food Trail

On 20th of May 1498, Vasco da Gama disembarked from his Nau (Portuguese ship) in Kappakadavu, Kerala and marked the beginning of a long chapter that would tie the history of the Indian continent to far-off Portugal inextricably. The Portuguese, the first to find the sea route to India (thanks to Vasco da Gama) were among the earliest European traders to come here. And even though they lost out to the British as a colonial power, it is amazing how they have left their influence in our everyday lives.

From the 16th – 18th century CE Portuguese settlements dotted the East and West coast of India. The list was long Cochin (Kochi), Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu, Bombay, Salsette, Kannur, Kollam, Tangasseri, Daman, Chittagong, Bandel, Vasai (Bassein), Satgaon (Hooghly) and Dhaka. This was also the time when Portuguese sailors were going far, into the Americas and parts of Africa As they settled in these port towns they also brought in many new delicacies.