Come December, and Christian homes in Kerala bring out their special moulds called achus. These moulds are intricate and rose-shaped, meant to create a perfect, crunchy, deep-fried ‘rose cookie’ or achappam. Rose cookies are peculiar to Kerala and some Mangalorean and Goan homes. They are believed to have Dutch origins dating back to the 1600s, but have since adapted themselves to south Indian ingredients over time – with rice flour, eggs, coconut milk and sugar. Each bite of a rose cookie is a flavourful reminder of the Christmas spirit for most south Indians.
It is a well-established fact that Christianity came to India much before it spread to Europe and the rest of the Western World. And yet, the conventional ideas of Christmas centre around roast chicken, holly and gingerbread. However, Christmas traditions in peninsular India have their own unique blend of customs – where cultures have collided and created beautiful recipes that evoke warmth and nostalgia. Let’s rewind a bit, to understand the history of Christianity in India. St Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, visited India around 52 AD, and was responsible for the first conversions in Kerala. Today, the descendants of these initial converts call themselves ‘Syrian Christians’. In the 1400s, Vasco Da Gama famously sailed to Kerala (and probably found Christians waiting there, much to his surprise!). His arrival paved the sea route – and the way – to introduce the Roman Catholic faith, or Latin rite in the country. Other European countries followed suit, and Christianity in India was soon an amalgam of various rites. This also led to the creation of food traditions that combined the ideas of the Western world with Indian ingredients and techniques.
‘The Kuswar platter is something we create as a mix of sweet and savoury Christmas treats,’ says homemaker Marieen Fernandes, who creates her platters from scratch to give away. ‘This is a part of Goan and Mangalorean Catholic rituals, and has some Portuguese influences. The kulkuls are the most famous, and we use semolina flour, sugar and coconut milk, which are then deep-fried into curls and coated with sugar syrup. Guliyo or rice flour balls are made by adding jaggery and coconut. The chakli is a savoury item akin to the south Indian murukku, which uses rice flour, gram flour and various spices, deep-fried. Another popular item is the Nevryo, which shaped a bit like miniature gujiyas, but spiced with cardamom and a stuffing of coconut, dry fruits and jaggery. The plum cake is of course, a necessary addition to every Kuswar platter. There are also various varieties of coconut burfis and sweets. We really love adding coconut to our platters, which sets it apart from everything else that’s Christmassy around the world!’
The west coast of India doesn’t have monopoly over food traditions. Along the Coromandel or the Eastern coast of India, you’ll find the ‘Tuticorin Macaroon’, which gets its name from the port town of Thoothukoodi in Tamil Nadu, formerly known as Tuticorin. When macaroons came to India from France and Italy, they were too complex to reproduce. You also had an added problem – the paucity of almonds. So local Christians cleverly adapted and modified the recipe by substituting almonds with cashews, which were easily available. They also did away with the layer of sandwich icing, and instead produced a meringue-like creation with swirls that looked like the top of an ice cream cone. Tuticorin macaroons today, use the same recipe – egg whites, ground cashewnut and sugar, and piped into delectable spirals. The texture is also slightly different; the European macaroon is chewy, while the Tuticorin macaroon is crisp. The latter has a longer shelf-life as well.
Another coastal settlement on the Eastern coast is Puducherry – formerly Pondicherry - which may be on the world map now for its laidback glamour and vibe. But long before it started becoming a hub for French croissants and global gourmet fare, Puducherry took the Christmas tradition of baking cakes from Europe, and made it their own with local ingredients. They used semolina, ghee and coconut milk along with raisins and candied fruits to whip up a sinful confection that melts in the mouth.
‘Most south Indians celebrate their festivals with the local cuisine, and Christians here are no different,’ says Kochi-based food entrepreneur and caterer Preetha Isaac. ‘The Arittachi stew is a flavourful mutton stew that simmers in coconut milk and peppers, served with appam. Fish or Meen Moilee is typically seer fish, served in a coconut milk-based curry, after being tawa-fried. There are also Anglo-Indian dishes like the comforting vindaloo which have found their way to our Christmas tables. We have vegetarian ingredients like tapioca and jackfruit that find their way into mains and desserts, as well as sweet dishes like Elaneer (tender coconut) Pudding and Pazham Nirachatu (stuffed bananas filled with grated coconut).’
Cuisine is a dynamic and ever-evolving cultural phenomenon, and one that belongs to a festival as universal as Christmas is no exception. With the global exchange of ideas and ingredients over the centuries, it comes as no surprise that we now have the best of both worlds in a distinct set of dishes, that are peculiar only to us.