Goa’s Orchata: A Family Drink Fights Extinction

In Goa, India, Eunice Lima Fernandes De Sa and a small group of Goans are reviving orchata, a traditional almond-based drink that has largely faded from memory. Once popular in upper-caste Catholic households during colonial times, and served at weddings and feasts, orchata’s production dwindled after the 1990s with the closure of the main commercial producer, Coelho’s.

The drink signified status due to the imported almonds and the luxury of ice required to serve it. While cashew nuts are plentiful in Goa, orchata traditionally stuck with almonds to maintain its association with wealth and Portuguese heritage.

Individuals like Carol Baretto Miranda and Oliver Fernandes of The Goan Kitchen are now working to preserve the recipe and the cultural history tied to it. Though demand remains limited, these cooks and small businesses are ensuring that orchata doesn’t disappear completely, relying on pre-orders and word-of-mouth to reach those who remember its unique, almondy flavor and the memories it evokes. The drink's future likely lies in wider accessibility rather than a return to its elite origins.