23/04/2023
preserved!
Goa Chitra's Artifact of the day: Soreachi Bhatti or Distillation unit
Did you know that Caju Feni, Coconut Feni and Urrak were indirectly introduced by the Portuguese and the Jesuits? It is believed that nearly 500 years ago, the Portuguese came bearing the Cashew Apple tree from Brazil, and with them came the Jesuits who introduced the concept of alcohol distillation!
Originally called 'Launecho Soro', Coconut Feni started with toddy or 'Sur' while Caju Feni and Urrak started with the juice of cashew apples that was kept to ferment for three days in clay or porcelain pots, called ‘monn’ or ‘jhallo’.
It was then boiled in a big earthen pot called ‘bhann’ with the mouth sealed with a wooden stopper called ’mhorannem’. The vapours from the ‘bhann’ passed through a tube called ‘nolli’, made from ‘bonnki’ stem or a clay tube, and then collected in a clay distillation pot called ‘launi’ that was placed in a open clay vessel called ‘kodem’ filled with water.
Once drunk widely in Goa and one of the main sources of revenue for the government, ‘launecho soro’ is no longer produced today. Khumbhars or Potters no longer or hardly know the techniques of producing the ‘monn’, ‘bhann’ or ‘launi’ while most Rendhers or Toddy tappers no longer climb trees to tap and distill.
Goa Chitra has taken great effort to conserve and consolidate Goa's only surviving traditional distillation unit or 'Bhatti' made of all natural materials. This unit is very close to our hearts as it represents the collective wisdom of multiple generations and trades that is slipping away like countless other forgotten foods, forgotten stories and forgotten professions.
