Goa, Dec. 24 -- RADHARAO GRACIAS

Little by little, Goans gained proficiency in cooking meats as years passed; baking, though, was a stiffer task. Tradition has it that mis sionaries set up the first 'forn' ( wood fired oven) in Majorda at the house of Paixao Gomes, who being the pioneer came to be known as Paixao Poder ('pod er', being derivative of 'Padeiro,' Portuguese for baker). Here, people were trained in the ba sics of leavening the dough with toddy and baking; these con temporaries of my forefathers, then travelled to other villages with their skills. Fearing a French takeover, as Napoleon subdued most of Europe and marched into the Iberian Peninsula, the British pre-emptively sent their troops into Goa from 1797-1798 and again f...