No place on earth develops a craze for cakes as in Kolkata during the Christmas day. Yes, you read it right. The feverish urge to buy or bite into cakes and pastries peak on the 25th December in front of every cake shop. The shops selling any other product, convert into cake shops during Christmas, when one can see long and patient queues in front of popular bakers like Nahoum and Flurys.
Unlike the monopoly of the Iranian bakers in Hyderabad and Mumbai, Kolkata had a wider mix of Jewish, Portuguese, French, Italian and English bakers. After all, once the capital of India and the second significan after London, Kolkata had enough discerning clients. Most bakers were in and around Central Kolkata, in particular around Park Street and Esplanade areas.
True to its tradition as a melting pot of various cultures, Kolkata offers various fare from the European to far-eastern cuisines. Kookie Jar is one of the popular chains in cakes and pastries and is owned by Lovey Burman, and the Sugarr & spice is owned by Supriya Roy, both successful women entrepreneurs. The Bengali licensee of Mongini’s chain has restarted in a new brand Mio Amore, and there are hundreds of others spread all around.
A Baghdadi Jew established Nahoum in 1902, and the Saldanha is also a hundred years old. Firpo’s and Frazzini’s of yesteryears still evoke nostalgia for many city elders. Calcutta has a unique club culture; many established a hundred years or earlier and all having commendable bakeries. The Calcutta Club, I guess, still boasts of the best-baked assortments. I ignore the star hotels which do bake excellent cakes and pastries.
Christmas cake making is a famous ceremony of sorts in Flurys, which begins with the Christmas season. Giant mounds of flour, eggs and butter are mixed well on a huge table. The chef adds a mixture of raisins, cherries and cinnamon, baking soda, brown sugar, dried fruits, fruit essences, rum and brandy, and even a bottle of champagne. The mixture is said to be made months in advance to let the ingredients soak and give a spirited taste. The cake is sold within a few hours of the offer.
A few still look for eggless varieties, often biting a mouthful of burger with a red dot on the package. But their needs are also met expertly by many. Cakes made by old families like the Saldanha are an art and is passion driven. I buy cakes from the 80 years old Dolly Breen, another passionate cake maker of Kolkata, who has kept her magical recipes a guarded secret. Now she bakes a few pieces selectively, lamenting that her age is a bother. Her niece Michelle lends a hand.
To me, cakes represent humanity. The celebration is for the birth of Christ, the cake made by the Jews, Christians and Muslims and devoured by all, mostly Hindus. The cake is sweet and has several wholesome ingredients and hidden delights, which represent the enjoyment of the season and its hidden thrills. As Kolkatans splurge in the cakes on the ‘boro din,’ the long day, Christmas, the sentiment fortifies our plurality and inclusivity of all religions and Gods.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
Sampath Kumar
