Cakes and Ale

KOCHI: Gearing up for the advent of the Christmas season, the traditional fruit soaking ceremony was celebrated by the Dreams Hotel on Sunday. Various guest invited to hotel had a fun time mixing the fruit with the liquor which will be kept intact for another two months to prepare plum cake for Christmas.According to Fino Babu, Food and Beverage Manager of the Hotel Dreams, cake soaking for the traditional Christmas cake is a ceremony celebrated since early Victorian times in Europe. The major purpose behind the cake soaking ceremony is to bring cheer to all those involved mixing the fruit. “There is a tale behind the fruit soaking ceremony. The story is that in the early days people used to eat a simple porridge on Christmas Eve after a day of fasting.” “Then the concept for making the plum cake came in. At first they used dried fruits and spices to make it special for Christmas. Soon the heavy mixture was wrapped in cloth and steamed instead of being cooked in a pan to make the Christmas plum pudding. A small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured into the pores of the cake every week until Christmas. This process is called ‘feeding’ the cake. The belief is that if the cake comes out well, it augurs well for the people for the New Year. Now this ceremony has become common in European country. In Pondicherry this is celebrated as grand ceremony marking the advent of the Christmas,” Fino Babu said.  Hotel Dream has also started a new cake stall displaying various kinds of cakes for the Christmas season. Beside cake, snacks and little food items are also available, making it  a hang out place for youngsters.