If there is one market that truly embodies the spirit of Goa, it has to be Mapusa Market. Mapusa is an incredible medley of sight, sound and colour everyday but its Friday bazaars are a sight to behold. It comes alive with the swish of textile, the clang of metal and the aroma of fresh spices as local vendors from all over Goa flock together to sell their wares.

Mapusa Market has always been one of the primary centers for trade and shopping in Goa for many decades now. In fact, the story goes that the market grew to be so significant, that the town that developed around it was derived from the business conducted at the market. The Konkani words, “map” (meaning to measure) and “sa” (meaning to fill up) are combined to form the word mapusa.

We came across some brilliant visual documentation of Mapusa’s repair shops, fabric stores flower bazaars, and condiment outlets curated by the Mapping Mapusa Market project and this blogpost is an ode to the exhaustive research that they have done.

Stories of Repair and Recycle by Sahil Konkar

A series of videos by Sahil and Prashant that heroes the people that put our lives together. Read more about the famous repair points in Mapusa Market here and watch them in action using the playlist below.

Flower Power by Mythili Borkar

Flower Power immortalises the potent yet delicate imagery that make up Mapusa’s flower bazaar, as well as the aspirations tied to them. Find the seies in focus here.

Mapping Sugarcane by stanzinlosal

The story of 8 sugarcane juice shops spread across Mapusa Market, Goa has been mapped and developed into short films. Find this lovely story here.

Completed in 2014, these visual histories offer amazing perspective into the Mapusa and Goa of today and the many layers of their making. It helps develop a cohesive understanding of the relationships between place, space, activity, and community.

If you are ever in Goa, definitely pay a visit to witness the life and times of Mapusa Market.

To read about the different places and experiences Goa has in store for you, visit our map - Goa At A Glance.

To know more about North and South Goa, visit our blogpost on North Goa vs South Goa

To visit South Goa’s stunning bungalows, take a look at our top picks here.

It has been more than a year since I last visited Goa and I find myself often turning to memories of fresh Goan food, a definite shortcut to paradise. Here is a collection of some incredible recipes, food documentation, a list of restaurants and some stunning art brought together by their celebration of Local Goan food.

Food reporting is at once an incredible guide to the local cuisine and a reliable way of mapping the life and times of a particular place and culture. Joanna Lobo is a freelance writer from Goa, and finds a way to magically weave her experiences of living in Goa into her stories about Goan food. Here is a collection of essays and stories from her. I particularly recommend - How I Tried (and failed) To Master The Goan Bebinca Cake.

The Goan Sorpotel. Illustration by Anna Vu.

For someone in Goa, looking for the best seafood joints, we have a list curated by LBB. The list looks at offbeat restaurants that are typically not on the tourist map, but wildly popular for their authenticity among the locals. Find the restaurants here.

On the other hand, if you wish to visit Goa from the comfort of your homes, here is something you could look at. Goya Journal does a wonderful job of mapping Goan food history and diversity. Find their articles on Goan Food here.

Great food nourishes the body and great art nourishes the soul. What could be better than them coming together? We love this visual recipe of the famous Goan Xacuti Curry, created by illustrator Shruti Prabhu. In her words: “Goan cuisine is strongly influenced by the Portuguese, since they ruled Goa till 1961. Xacuti (Chacuti in Portuguese) is spicy curry made either with chicken or crabs. The roasted spices give such a lovely aroma to this recipe. You can tone down the heat by reducing the number of chillies.”

Finally, we’d be remiss if we did not mention a spectacular food tour that is happening right now across Goa, hosted by renowned chef Thomas Zacharias. Chef T Zac as he is commonly known, is popular for his #ChefontheRoad series where he drives through different parts of the country, and does everything from culinary lessons in home kitchens, to interactions with locals in villages, to foraging for indigenous seasonal ingredients, to visits to local markets, and eating out in quaint restaurants. #COTRgoa is an extensive sensory map of quintessentially Goan culinary heritage and can be found on the chef’s Instagram as well as Twitter pages.

We wish you happy adventures on your culinary expeditions. Write to us with your favourite recommendations in the comments below.