They renamed it Peri Peri (a Portuguese slur of the Swahili). And they did something clever: they married it to the spices of the East. Black cardamom from Kerala. Cumin from Syria. Paprika that had sailed from the Americas. A little dried oregano that smelled of Mediterranean cliffs.
Finally, he stopped talking. He typed one last message: what is peri peri masala
Fernando’s chicken became legendary. Soon, peri peri masala was being spooned into peri peri fries, peri peri prawns, peri peri paneer. It traveled back to Goa, then to London, then to a global fast-food chain that put it in a bottle. They renamed it Peri Peri (a Portuguese slur of the Swahili)
That’s where the word masala snuck in. It means “a blend of spices” in Hindi, Urdu, and many other South Asian tongues. But here’s the twist: the blend wasn’t Indian. It was a Portuguese-African-Indian love child. Cumin for earth. Oregano for sun. Smoked paprika for memory. And the bird’s-eye chili for courage . Cumin from Syria