As the first light spread across Goa’s rice fields, farmers heading out for long days of work carried more than tools and seeds. Alongside them travelled a clay pot filled with warm kanji or home-cooked meals, wrapped in layers of mud and cow dung. In an era before thermos flasks and insulated boxes, this simple vessel ensured that lunch stayed warm through the day.
Many Goan farmers relied on something far simpler, and far more local. It was called the podgoh, a traditional clay pot that worked like an ancient thermos.
The podgoh was more than just cookware. It was a practical survival tool built around local materials and wisdom.
What exactly is a podgoh?
A podgoh is a traditional Goan clay pot, usually used to carry kanji — a rice-based gruel or rice water commonly consumed by farmers — along with simple meals cooked at home. Unlike ordinary clay pots, this vessel was coated externally with layers of mud and cow dung that acted as natural insulation, helping retain heat for hours.
For farmers leaving home early in the morning and returning only after sunset, carrying hot food across long distances was difficult. The podgoh solved that problem.
While there is little documented evidence pinpointing exactly when the practice began, the use of insulated clay vessels in Goa likely developed over generations within agricultural communities, where locally available clay and traditional building materials shaped everyday life. Pottery itself has deep roots in Goa, with clay crafts historically made by local potter communities using the state’s characteristic red clay.
Who used the podgoh?
Mostly farmers and agricultural workers.
Goa’s rural economy depended heavily on farming for generations, with long hours spent working in paddy fields, coconut groves, and plantations. Carrying fresh food that could survive heat, rain, and long workdays was essential. The podgoh became part of this routine because it was durable, reusable, and easy to make using materials available in villages.
How does it work?
Its science was simple.
The inner clay pot held the food. Around it came layers of mud and cow dung — materials long used across rural India for insulation because they slow heat transfer.
The clay itself retained warmth, while the outer coating reduced heat loss. Together, they created a naturally insulated container that kept kanji and meals warm for hours without electricity or modern technology.
In many ways, it functioned like an early thermos flask — just made entirely from earth.
Is it still used today?
Not really. Modern lunch carriers, insulated containers, and changing farming practices have reduced the everyday use of podgoh. But in some Goan villages, older generations still remember it, and videos shared online have recently revived curiosity around the practice.
Today, the podgoh survives more as cultural memory than daily utility — a reminder of how communities once built solutions using what they had around them.
How to make a simple podgoh:
Step 1: Take a medium-sized clay pot with a lid.
Step 2: Prepare a mixture of mud and cow dung into a thick paste.
Step 3: Apply this mixture around the outside of the pot to create an insulating layer.
Step 4: Let the coating partially dry and harden.
Step 5: Fill the inner pot with hot kanji, rice, or cooked food.
Step 6: Cover tightly and carry.
The result is simple: a lunch container made entirely from natural materials that keeps food warm for hours.
Long before sustainability became a buzzword, tools such as the podgoh practiced. Made from sustainable ingredients, it proved that sometimes, the oldest technologies are also the smartest.
