It feels almost wrong that sol kadi—the cooling earthy suffix to every self-respecting spicy Goan and Malvan meal—just came to be. But as it turns out, that’s all there is to it. “There’s no deep story,” says food anthropologist Kurush Dalal. “Sol kadi is purely kokum, water and coconut milk. It is a part and parcel of a landscape.” 

Like smoke and fire, wherever there is a kokum tree in India, it seems, there is a version of Sol kadi to be found. If you ask food historian Mohsina Mukadam for the reason behind its growing popularity beyond the Konkan belt, she would  attribute it to people becoming more open about experimenting with food. “Sol kadi is available in readymade packets now,” says Mukadam.