Christmas has always been a family tradition for Mathew Varghese while he was growing up, and the Kerala Christmas plum cake was always a part of this celebration. The spirit of coming together was even more special because, unlike those Malayalis who grew up in Kerala around friends and family, Mathew, chef and co-founder of city-based restaurant Kari Apla, grew up in Kolkata surrounded by the warmth of his community and extended family - the Syrian Christians itself but living in Kolkata.

In a different land far away from their land of origins, the church in Kolkata became the bond that brought them together and it could especially be felt in the days leading up to Christmas. Speaking about the tradition, he shares, "In our churches, there are different families who come together. It is a communal activity where everybody cuts the fruits in their houses and gets them to church to add to the cake batter. Being a communal activity, it is one common cake batter made, and a baker is called to bake it. Each house`s family name is put on each loaf depending on how much they want." While these cakes were made for self-consumption, they were also distributed to friends and family.

Every year, the Christmas traditions of Mumbai`s East Indians, Goans, Mangaloreans and Anglo Indians are celebrated and spoken about it so many different ways through their unique customs. Whether it is the sorpotel or vindaloo that is commonly made among East Indians and Goans or the coconut-based curries made by the Mangaloreans with sannas, or the roast chicken and more that is made by the Anglos, the city is truly a melting pot of cultures. However, the beauty is that apart from non-Catholics and the expats, even Kerala`s Christian community occupies a sizeable portion of this Christmas `community pie`. Interestingly, their celebrations may not always be as popularly known as the others in Mumbai. Still, they are existent in the by-lanes carol singing. This activity brings in the festivities at least two weeks before the Catholic community, which usually does it 10 days before Christmas. Their tradition also extends to food and the making of Kerala Christmas Plum Cake. It is easily one of the lesser-known dishes of Christmas celebrations among Kerala`s Syrian Christian community, especially in Mumbai.

Deconstructing the Kerala Christmas Plum Cake

So, why is the Kerala Christmas Plum Cake lesser-known or sprinkled across a handful of menus in the city? Mathew says the tradition mostly doesn’t happen as much anymore because it is quite a tedious process - right from cutting the fruits and soaking them for a month, and the fact that they are “low-key” and they are not extravagant with anything they do, and Christmas is no different. Interestingly, the Kerala plum cake is hardly different from the other plum cakes we know of India he believes but says it is "more fruit-heavy and less cake-y" if nothing else.