The pig has been a central feature of village celebrations in Goa since time immemorial. It is carefully fattened for special occasions such as village feasts, weddings, or the second day of the wedding festivities. Every part of the animal is put to good use—the blood and offal for sorpotel, the bones/addmas for curry, and the rich meat and fat for pork curries and Goa’s famed pork sausages, or chouriços.
Chouriços de Goa, locally called chouris, draw inspiration from Portuguese and Spanish chorizo, yet are distinctly Goan in flavour. They are spicier, with a generous use of vinegar. In Tasty Morsels, the chouriço is described as one of the defining elements of Catholic cuisine.
Interestingly, pork was not always central to Goan Catholic food. Historian Fatima da Silva Gracias, in her book Cozinha de Goa, notes that in the 1700s, pork was not widely consumed. Colonial regulations were introduced to reshape local food habits, even before the forced conversions to Catholicism. Under the Inquisition—an agency of the Church tasked with combating heresy—not eating pork was considered an offence punishable by law.
Process of making chouris
Traditionally, piglets raised by the family were used to make sausages. The process began early in the morning, with men hired to slaughter the pig. Its hair was burnt or shaved off, and the intestines were thoroughly cleaned—first with water, then with vinegar—before being left to dry. The meat was salted and placed overnight in a cane basket called a faan, pressed with a heavy weight to release moisture. The collected liquid was drained off from time to time.
The cured pork was cut into smaller pieces, mixed with a marinade of spices, garlic, and toddy vinegar. Vinegar was used generously as a preservative, a practice adapted from the Portuguese, who originally used wine. In Goa, toddy vinegar replaced wine, while in North Goa, a splash of feni was often added, as its alcohol helped inhibit bacterial growth.
The meat was stuffed into a cleaned cattle/pig gut. Skilled, nimble fingers were needed to work the meat in evenly, avoiding air pockets and preventing the casing from tearing. The ends of the gut were tied with thread, and the sausage was ready. It was left to dry in the sun. The distinctive flavour of the sausages developed largely through air- and sun-drying, which imparted depth and character to the meat. The finished sausages were hung on a bamboo rod high in the kitchen, where they absorbed smoke from the firewood stoves, or chulhas.
Portuguese recipes gradually found their way into Goan cuisine, either preserved in their original form or reshaped with local adaptations. Among these was chouriço. Goans transformed the Portuguese chorizo—fermented, cured sausages with a fiery red hue from smoked peppers—by adding chillies, Indian spices, and local toddy vinegar in place of wine. Garlic, spices, and vinegar blended seamlessly into the recipe, giving Goan sausages their distinctive flavour and unique identity.
Types of chourisam
A lesser-known variety of chourisam is kathichim chorisam, made by following the same process but using pork skin instead of meat. Fried until crisp—similar to pork cracklings—it is enjoyed as a snack with drinks and can still be found in Goa’s taverns. In some homes, people skip the casing altogether, storing the spiced meat directly in jars or bottles, simply called choris maas.
Others are sun-dried, smoked, or both. Traditionally, they were hung from bamboo poles above the fireplace, where slow-burning coal and coconut husks released smoke that gently dried the sausages without cooking them. The use of coconut shells imparted a unique smoky flavour to the meat.
There are two popular styles of chourisam. The first resembles regular sausages, while the rosary chourisam—named for their small, bead-like size and bright red colour—are strung together like a rosary. The second type, larger and horseshoe-shaped, is associated with North Goa and features a higher spice-to-meat ratio, giving it a bold, robust flavour. Extra-large king-size sausages are often made to order. Today, neatly packaged versions are also available in Goan stores, with brands like Rego’s, Joao’s, and Costa’s keeping this tradition alive.
The delicacies
Chourisam is the perfect food for sailors, as it keeps well during long sea voyages. The locals, too, welcomed chourisam, especially during the monsoon when fish was in restricted supply. These pork sausages offered an alternative source of protein.
Juicy, moist, and perfectly balanced with just the right amount of fat, the chouris continue to delight palates across the country. Goa’s enduring love for this multipurpose delicacy lies in its remarkable versatility. No special occasion in a Goan home feels complete without at least one dish made with chouris. Highly versatile, Goan choris feature in a range of dishes, from choris pulao and sausage chilli fry with potatoes—a favourite companion to chilled beer—to the traditional bean stew feijoada. They also appear in choris pão, a popular snack of sausages served in crusty bread, and in rich Goan curries like sorpotel, where they add depth and flavour.
(The writer is a Polar Scientist who has explored both Antarctica and the Arctic in pursuit of science and also works as a freelancer)
