The history of societies and cultures when looked upon from a bird’s eye view, is usually a product of domino effect where certain developments in one part of the world often leads to overall changes in the socio-cultural life of societies living in some other part, generally without mutual knowledge of these happenings. Such is also the case of the East Indian community of Mumbai.

In the 16^th century, when the expanding Mughal empire under Humayun threatened the sovereignty of the Gujarat sultanate, its sultan Bahadur Shah approached his hitherto naval rivals, the Portuguese for their aid against the Mughal might. The Portuguese themselves were recent entrants onto the Indian political board and were eager to get a piece of that pie. To sweeten the deal for his European partners, the sultan acceded the southernmost territories of his domain viz. the province of Vasai then known as Bassein, and the islands of Salsette and Bombay in a treaty known as the ‘Treaty of Bassein’ which was signed on 23^rd December 1534. This agreement formally began the Portuguese rule in this area, which was eventually consolidated as the Provincia do Norte (northern provinces) of the Estado da India or the Portuguese Indian State.

The Portuguese rule thoroughly changed the socio-cultural fabric of the local society. Their evangelizing activities led to the creation of the native Catholic population in Mumbai which still retained their mother tongue of Marathi. This new population group initially known as the ‘Norteiros’ (northerners) or the ‘Bombay Portuguese’ thrived under the Portuguese administration. New ingredients introduced by the colonists such as potato, tomato, cashew, and especially the chili completely changed the diet pattern of the native population, leading to the creation of new masalas and condiments. The arrival of British rule in Mumbai and the ensuing economic boom, led to competition in the job opportunities amongst the Bombay Portuguese and the immigrant Goan and Mangalorean Catholics. To distinguish themselves from the Goans and Mangaloreans, and demonstrate their loyalty to the British government as the earliest Roman Catholic subjects of the crown in India, the Bombay Portuguese community adopted the new title of ‘East Indians’ in 1887, the golden jubilee year of queen Victoria’s reign. They chose this name as many of their ancestors had been in the service of the East India Company.

The Portuguese fostered a bon vivant culture amongst their subjects leading to the creation of delectable gastronomy in their colonies. Thus, as the Peri Peri sauce was created in Mozambique, the Temporo Baiano emerged in Brazil, and the Recheado masala was concocted by the Goans, the inhabitants of the northern provinces of Portuguese India formulated a unique spice mix of their own, which eventually came to be known as the bottle masala owing to the fact that it was preserved in dark tinted bottles used for storing alcohol. Like many other Indian communities, the East Indians made full use of the new crop of chili into their masala.

Long before the expanding amoeba of urbanization had swallowed up the area of greater Mumbai, many quaint East Indian villages thrived across the city. Throughout these villages, with the advent of summer months from February onward every household started buzzing with the activities related to the making of the masala. It all started with procuring the raw material for which the natives traveled to the spice markets in present day south Mumbai.  A traditional East Indian house consisted of large surrounding spaces such a backyard and an open veranda called as oli which were integral factors in the of making bottle masala. The oli was used for drying the chilies and other spices. Drying of the chilies and spices was and still is a fundamental part of the masala making and every family dried their ingredients for a period of three days. Once the chilies and spices were crackling dry, the process of roasting them would begin. This was done either in the oli or the house backyard. A wood fire stove called as chool was created for the purpose and the constituents were roasted in a clay vessel with a ladle made out of coconut shell. Then came the most labor intensive part of the process, the pounding of the spices. Every household had their own wooden mortar and pestle known as ukhal and musal respectively. The dried and roasted mixture was poured into the wooden wat and multiple ladies would simultaneously pound it with their pestles while humming traditional songs. It was sort of a well-coordinated musical set to the beats of the pounding pestles. After the mixture was ground to a fine consistency, it was left to cool down and was later sifted multiple times. The sifting action would clear away any chunky bits that would have left behind while pounding. Once the whole batch of the spice mix was sifted, it would be mixed over multiple times and then stuffed into beer bottles, which the families would have saved up after their carousals, using wooden sticks. The spice mix was tightly packed so as to avoid formation of any air bubbles which would spoil the masala by facilitating mold growth.

Traditionally, the masala was prepared in bulk for the whole year prior to the monsoon. Like many Indian spice mixes, every East Indian family has and still have their own unique recipe of how the masala is made and in what quantities each spice is to be mixed. This is generally a well-kept family secret, sharing of which outside the family and close friends circle is frowned upon. The number of ingredients range from 25-35 and even 60 as per some households. Even the types of chilies to be used is a subject of debate. The usual chili breeds put to use are Kashmiri, Bedgi, Reshampatti, Pandi, and Madras. Each family uses any of three of these chilies in their masala. Generally, the point of difference in most families is over Kashmiri and Bedgi and which one of these gives a brighter hue to the masala. What makes this masala unique is that it consists of grounded whole wheat and grams which also makes it a natural thickener of curries and gravies to which it is added.

Many families with shortage of manpower would and still do hire specialist women known as Masalewalis who are deft in the act of making the bottle masala. These ladies would generally have a fixed clientele and would take care of every aspect of the masala making process from drying the chilies, to grounding and packing the masala into bottles for their patrons. In the town of Vasai where the East Indian culture still holds strong, porcelain jars with narrow mouths known as ‘Kus’ are still used along with the glass bottles to store the masala. The jars and the bottles were then sealed with a wooden knob called as ‘Khunta’ to make it air tight.

Mrs. Erica Kinny who’s a resident of Bhandarwada locality in Worli Koliwada says that, “the bottle masala is more flavorful than any other masalas simply because of the number of whole spices that goes into it. It has a very rich flavor which enhances the taste of any dish it is added to.” The bottle masala recipe that she inherited from her elder sister in law 32 years ago contains 24 ingredients and she has been making it the same way ever since. Erica shares that making of the bottle masala is an annual event and she makes about 9 kg of masala every year. She proudly states that, “not just the non-veg recipes, bottle masala also uplifts the flavor of any veg dish it is mixed into.” However, the traditional process of making the masala by roasting and pounding it in the household is fading and many families have moved away from it. Erica herself gets her bottle masala pounded from the spice mills. “I only roast and mix the whole spices in the right proportions at home and send it for grinding at masala galli at Lalbaug”, mentions Erica further adding that the lack of man power at her household and her age prevents her from doing it the traditional way. In today’s day and age, making the bottle masala is a costly affair though and it costs Erica around Rs. 10,000 to make her stock. Due to this fact, she only uses it in traditional recipes like Khuddi curry, Moile, Indal (East Indian Vindaloo), and Sorpotel in which adding the spice mix is indispensable. It is due to such high expenses that many poorer families have stopped making the bottle masala. They instead prepare a make shift version of it by mixing Sunday masala and garam masala, though this mixture lacks the piquancy of the original bottle masala.

Despite the changing times and economy, the epicurean charm of bottle masala still holds strong amongst the East Indians and even as members of the community have emigrated across the world, they make sure that they have the provisions of their beloved masala stocked, either by making annual trips to India or by asking their relatives to send it to them. Erica echoes this sentiment as she has her nephew visiting from Canada every year to get his supply of bottle masala. She also has relatives from Dubai and Australia visiting her for the same. In fact, she jokingly says that, “bottle masala is the one of the bonds that has held our family relations together!”

The food that one eats becomes a part of their individual and collective identity. Hidden within it are layers of history narrating the cultural journey of that group, and it is a reflection of their way of life. The appetizing flavors of the bottle masala mirrors the ebullient spirit of the East Indian lifestyle. In the words of Sunil D’mello, an East Indian content creator from Vasai, “the bottle masala is the symbol of the centuries old cultural heritage of the East Indians!”