LFC Goa | August 2025
Zenobia: ‘Merendas’ was once a daily pause in many Luso-Goan homes. Not quite a meal, not just a snack—served somewhere between 4 and 5 pm, after the heat had softened but before the evening had set in.
It was the time of day when the clatter of kitchens quieted, when families gathered for tea on the balcao, often with pão, a slice of cake, or something savoury just out of the oven.
The tradition came from the Portuguese practice of Lanche Da Tarde, but here in Goa, it took on its own rhythm. Slower. Softer. Rooted deeply in Sussegad—the art of being one with nature, of presence.
Today, Merendas is easy to forget. Life moves fast, and pauses are rare. But when we do return to it—even briefly—it feels like remembering something our bodies always knew: to slow down, share something warm, and savour the in-between hours