Comments on: Chicken Xacuti

By: Rimski

Rimski — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:08:31 +0000

Barbara my first recipe from your site (since discovering it on the weekend) and it was excellent. A really pleasurable dish to make, and not just eat!

What dish would you recommend as a good complement for Chicken Xacuti?

By: Lizah

Lizah — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:34:44 +0000

I can’t wait to try this, it’s similar to my south indian and chicken twists on the kohlapuri rassi dish in The Indian Spice Kitchen. Chicken and coconut are a dream together. It’s so funny though because my husband loves any kind of gravy so I have to prepare him ahead of time for a dryer paste. he likes them well enough but is always asking, just a touch more water, just a bit more, lol.

I love the culinary etymology twists you give, I learn so much reading your blog and really enjoy it.

By: Gourmet Mama

Gourmet Mama — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:40:32 +0000

Well Morganna’s father REALLY is wrong. Coconut and chicken do go well together. And this recipe is a testament to that. I love this recipe.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:14:06 +0000

Christy, there are two thoughts on the etymology of the word “xacuti.” One is that it is a Goan dialectical interpretation of the word saguti, which is Konkan and refers to a Malvini dish that is cooked the same exact way as xacuti is–chicken cooked in a paste of coconut and spices.

It is likely that the odd spelling has to do with Portuguese influence–but the ingredients and method came from India–one of the clues to this is that the souring agent is tamarind instead of vinegar–Goan recipes that are derived from the Portuguese food traditions or which are influenced strongly from them use vinegar. Tamarind is a classic southern Indian ingredient.

Culinary etymology is such a fun subject to research, isn’t it?

By: Christy

Christy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:30:49 +0000

I have a slightly random question which you may not know the answer to. Where does the word “xacuti” come from? To my very amateur linguist’s eye, it appears very Meso-American. I’m sitting here inventing all kinds of interesting hypotheses, such as when the Portuguese settled in Goa, they brought ingredients and terminology over from Brazil and other South American areas, and it worked its way into the Indian language, the way chiles worked their way into the cuisine… But I could be completely wrong.