A history of Goa’s Bebinca which recently received the GI tag

Bebinca is believed to have been invented by a nun in the 17th Century, and is now a treasured food souvenir. It is widely debated, with people either loving or disliking it passionately. It will soon come with a GI label.

It is variedly called the Queen of Goan desserts, or the Emperor of Goan confection. It is a treasured food souvenir. It is a dish that showcases Goa’s multi-cultural culinary history. And recently, bebinca got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai.

Bebinca is a layered cake/pudding made with flour, coconut milk, and egg yolks. There is ghee for moistness, palm jaggery for colour, and salt and nutmeg for flavouring. It is baked one layer at a time. It joins a list of other GI tagged Goan food products like mancurad mango, cashew feni, Khola chilli, Harmal chilli, Moira banana, and khaje.

Bebinca is truly Goan and has a fascinating, if highly contentious, history. Legends are enfolded in its layers.

The All Goa Baker’s & Confectioners Association applied for GI status for bebinca in 2021 where they called it an ‘authentic Goan delicacy that completes the menu of any traditional [Catholic] celebration in Goa’….and a distinctive dessert ‘truly unique to Goa’. They hoped that there will be standardisation of the sweet, the making process, and ingredients, and benchmarks for its quality.

Goa has two main bakers’ associations that are responsible for upholding this newfound GI status. Bakers have to register with the All Goa Baker’s & Confectioners Association or with the All Goa Association of Bakers (AGAB) to get the GI stamp on their bebinca.

At a time when Goa’s old bakeries are closing down, this GI status could help bring the spotlight on these bakers. “It will help in maintaining quality and price and ensure that cheap quality stuff isn’t sold. Anything gets sold as bebinca these days,” says Agapito Menezes, president of AGAB. “Now manufacturers who want the GI tags on their products have to register with us, so customers know the stuff is genuine.” In his words, a genuine quality bebinca should use local eggs and coconut.

Livelyn Manuel has been taking orders for bebinca since the pandemic. She believes the GI tag would be beneficial because “there will be more interest from people who have not heard about it or tried it”.