It was an evening of beautiful, soulful music, delectable Goan Portuguese cuisine and joyful camaraderie at Alfama, the specialty restaurant at Cidade de Goa.
Portuguese singing sensation, fadista Cuca Roseta performed along with her musical team at the Fado Evening at Alfama to a delighted audience. Designed to resemble a town square of Lisbon, Alfama proved to be the perfect place for the event.
The musical evening was held in alignment with the series of cultural events being organized by Semana da Cultura Indo Portuguesa (Goa) in celebration of Indian and Portuguese culture including art, cinema, music, cuisine, theatre, literature, music and more.
The evening also saw some of Goa’s talented artists – Danika Silva Pereira, and Nadia Rebello accompanied by Goa’s celebrated artists Chantalle, Schubert and Minguel Cotta along with fadista Sonia Shirsat, who are regulars at the fado evenings at Alfama.
Said Anju Timblo, MD, Fomento Resorts and Hotels Ltd, “From the very first time I heard the fado, I have been interested in its music style, emotion and rendering.
Music is a universal language. Cidade de Goa and our signature restaurant ‘Alfama’ has been the perfect platform to promote the Fado, which is a part of Goa’s social and cultural history. On the first Tuesday of every month, Alfama hosts a fado evening. Slowly and steadily, the interest is building again amongst the people in Goa and visitors to the state. We also offer a spread of truly international dishes with distinct Goan flavours, like the recheado, balchao, cafreal and more. It is the endeavor at Cidade de Goa to promote and preserve all that has been good and is good of Goa.”
Cuca Roseta’s inimitable style of music has been inspired by Portugal’s traditional music genre, the fado. The Fado, the traditional Portuguese music genre and art form can be traced back to the early 1800s. It is a genre of music most associated with Portuguese culture. It is dark, passionate and as the name indicates, concerned with fate. The form of music is popular in Portugal and parts of Europe.
Fado comes from the Latin word fatum from which the English word fate also originates. Historical sources trace its roots to early XIX century’s Lisbon, but its origin is most probably older. Its melodies represent a multicultural synthesis of traditional Portuguese folk music, cosmopolitan urban song patterns of the early nineteenth century and Afro-Brazilian dances.
Over 600 years ago, the Portuguese first made Goa their home. As their influence spread, they brought an array of tastes, flavours and food traditions from their native land and colonies worldwide that, even today, form an integral part of the Goan identity.
From the African colony of Mozambique, they introduced the fiery Peri Peri chili. Cafreal originated in the same region. Emerging from Macau in the Far East came the tradition of Balchao, the robust spice mix most commonly used for pickling. This gastronomic legacy is undergoing a revolution of its own at Alfama, the fine dining restaurant at Cidade de Goa. A team of passionate chefs is creating a subtly nuanced style of food that re-interprets Goa’s rich culinary diversity in inspired ways.
This year, the fifth edition of the Semana da Cultura Indo Portuguesa (Goa) has put the spotlight on the fado. A few weeks earlier, Semana da Cultura Indo Portuguesa (Goa) hosted the first ever fado singing competition which saw an overwhelming response from young talent and admirers of the art form.
Like the earlier editions of Semana da Cultura Indo Portuguesa (Goa), this year too saw a celebration of Indian and Portuguese culture including art, cinema, music, cuisine, theatre, literature and more. The event is an effort to celebrate and appreciate the rich cultural flavours of the two nations.