Kuswar: A Guide to the Goan Christmas Sweet Platter

In the weeks before Christmas, Goan Catholic kitchens get very busy. Families roll, fry, stir and bake a spread of sweets called kuswar (also spelt kuswad), then share it on plates with neighbours, friends and family — whatever their faith. If someone hands you a plate in December, you've been given something that took days to make.

What's on the platter

• Neureos — crescent-shaped pastries filled with grated coconut, jaggery and cardamom. The star of the plate.

• Kulkuls — small curls of dough pressed on the back of a fork (or a comb), fried and glazed in sugar. Kids usually get roped in for these.

• Bebinca — the queen of Goan desserts: up to sixteen layers of coconut milk, egg yolk and ghee, each one baked separately.

• Dodol — a dark, glossy fudge of rice flour, coconut milk and palm jaggery, stirred for hours.

• Doce — a soft sweet of chana dal and coconut, cut into diamonds.

• Perad — guava cheese, set firm and cut into squares.

• Marzipan — Goa's version is often made with cashews, shaped and coloured into fruits, flowers and stars.

• Rose cookies — crisp, lacy flowers fried on a special mould.

• Bolinhas and nankatai — little coconut and semolina cookies that fill the gaps.

Where it comes from

Kuswar is a mix of Goa's histories on one plate: Portuguese influences in the marzipan and bebinca, Konkan staples like coconut, rice and jaggery in almost everything else. Every family has its own recipes, and most have strong opinions about whose neureos are best.

Making it yourself

Most families start in mid-December, making the longer-lasting sweets (kulkuls, rose cookies, perad) first and the fresher ones (neureos, bebinca) closer to Christmas Eve. If you're staying in Goa, ask a local friend if you can join a kuswar session — it's the best way to learn.

Buying it

Not everyone has the time anymore, and many home bakers and confectioners across Goa take kuswar orders through December. Order early: the best ones are fully booked well before Christmas week.

Got a family kuswar recipe or a favourite home baker? Tell us through the form on our homepage, or tag @goa on Instagram.