Blurb
Although efforts were being made to standardize the drink, the real big push came from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India which ruled that anything entering the human body is classified as food and that would include liquor
--------------------------------------------
Feni might be a heritage drink in the state, but the sad truth is that Goans no longer consume it in large quantities. It just isn’t cool. And this change in drinking habits is not only restricting the sale of feni, but in the long run, it could disappear from bar counters in the State. In the normal course, heritage drinks ought to be popular with the people. In Goa it is exactly the opposite. Taste, odour and alcohol content have something to do with it.
Cashew feni in particular, has an odour that lingers up to the point where it becomes uncomfortable. And if the vast majority of Goans have a problem imbibing feni, it is not difficult to imagine how domestic tourists and foreigners would react. There isn’t a doubt that the drink needs to be standardized and in a manner that will re-ignite Goa’s romance with it.
Although efforts were being made to standardize the drink, the real big push came from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which ruled that anything entering the human body is classified as food and that would include liquor. Hence, the mad rush to clean up feni for consumption and hopefully, to standardize it. Feni is distilled in a variety of ways. The traditional method involves crushing cashew apples with one’s bare feet in a granite pit. Concrete has replaced granite and the result is contamination. The big players are backing use of stainless steel machines to extract the juice, but is this fair to the small players? The big players are also of the opinion that copper coils should be used to distill the fermented juice. They have also recommended that the juice should be collected in a pit lined with ceramic tiles. One of the suggestions is that the alcohol content should be within 37.1 per cent and 42.8 per cent. All this will eventually result in uniformity of the feni produced in the State provided the norms are agreed upon and enforced by the Food and Drug Administration.
While the new norms will eventually result in standardization, the major issue facing manufacturers, large and small, is social acceptability of the drink. The tag of heritage drink accorded to feni is a nostalgic throw-back to the days when it was very popular and reflects the hope that will regain its place in culture. The journey to this destination is long and fraught with difficulties. Besides, the easy availability of IMFL and imported liquors which have a cool quotient with consumers has relegated feni to the back of the liquor queue. Manufacturers of the drink will have to think of ways to increase consumption, with or without the odour, or all the energy expended in standardizing it will go up in smoke.
