Panaji: Ushering in the spirit of the festive season, a traditional Christmas fruit cake-mixing ceremony was held at The Bakestrait Bakery, Azossim. Around 50-60 people that included friends, neighbours and well-wishers joined in the mixing ritual that is considered a precursor to Christmas.
Christmas cakes have been part of English tradition since ages and dates back to the 17th century. Large quantities of dry fruits, nuts and spices along with liquor are elaborately mixed together and soaked — which is what lends the cake its unique flavour, aroma and texture. The traditional Christmas fruit cake-mixing ceremony generally occurs a month or two ahead of Christmas and is conducted amidst great cheer and fervour.
Owner of The Bakestrait Bakery Chef Ashwin Arun Fernandes said that the company has been hosting traditional Christmas fruit cake-mixing events since its inception in 2017. “Our journey since 2017 has been splendid. We initially started off with around 10 kgs of fruit in our first year, and over the past 5 years we have grown spectacularly that today we are using 500 kgs of fruit which is incredible. Every year, we invite our village folks and well-wishers to join us in this fun-filled activity. All the attendees were very excited to get a first-hand experience. For some of our participants, it was for the first time that they got to witness this unique tradition. We briefed them about the significance of this ritual, and the idea behind using these ingredients in the mixture. At the end of ceremony, the intoxicating aroma of rum, wine, brandy, whisky and spices filled the entire premises where the ceremony took place. We ended the event with high tea,” he said.
