How Mumbai’s Catholics lift up their mood and culture with sweet ‘patoleos’
Updated On: 15 August, 2022 03:41 PM IST | Mumbai | Nascimento Pinto
In addition to Independence Day, August 15 also marks a feast for Christians in the city. Two Mumbaikars talk about how making patoleos — a fragrant turmeric leaf-steamed delicacy — for the community gives them hope amid the pandemic
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The making of patoleos for the Feast of Assumption of Our Lady is an annual tradition in Elizabeth Fernandes`s home. Photo: Elizabeth Fernandes
For the Roman Catholic community in the city, there is an extra reason to rejoice on August 15, alongside Independence Day. The date coincides with the harvest festival in Goa and the Feast of Assumption of Our Lady, celebrations of which are in complete without a sweet delicacy called ‘patoleo’. This fragrant dish is made from a mixture of coconut, jaggery and rice, shaped into a pancake, which is wrapped and steam-cooked in fresh turmeric leaves.
The last seventeen months have been dispiriting but people have looked for joy in the little things. Some Catholics have found it in the making of patoleos not only for themselves but also for others in their neighbourhood. “Every year, I make it for my family and distribute it among my neighbours. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it in 2020 but this time around, I am making and selling them too,” says Malad resident Rita Quadros.
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