BEBINCA – THE QUEEN OF GOAN DESSERT

There are controversies amongst the Goan – whether it is Dodol or Bebinca but in a survey in 1989 by Mr. Ashwin Rajagopalan of Chennai University, Bebinca won it by 45% margin. Historically, one would hear many things about Bebinca – how it would contain 100 egg yolks, take a whole day to make. Whilst the origin of the dessert is unkown, it is often attributed to the Portuguese dessert, Bebinca das Sete Folhas, while others say it originated in Malaysia, where it is known as binga or kuch lapis. But the most accepted history is “Fatima da Silva Gracia who authored Cozinha de Goa suggests that Bebinca might have been invented by Bibiona, a nun at the Convento da Santa Monica in Old Goa. Her first version was crafted with seven layers to represent the seven hills of Lisbon and Old Goa”