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.