When Christmas is around, you see bakery shops teeming with cakes, chocolatiers introducing new flavors, and every grocery shop in the market with tempting displays of pastries and Christmas decorations, you do not realize that Christmas is as versatile as the followers around the world.
In India, Christmas is more than cakes. These desserts and snacks will tell you how.
Kulkul:
A deep fried dumpling made of eggs, flour, coconut cream and sugar, its uniqueness lies in the curly shape accented with embedded creased. All across India, this crispy, crunchy sweet is prepared in many other festivities besides Christmas.
Gujiya:
Gujiya is a sweet that is prepared all over India in various forms. It is basically a flour pastry with a filling that is deep fried. In UP, it is filled with khoya (thickened milk) and dry fruits while in southern states like Goa, it is filled with coconut shavings and jaggery.
Coconut Laddoo:
Coconut laddoos are a distinctive Indian sweet that are well-loved by all communities. They are prepared with dried coconut powder, sugar, and a binding agent like condensed milk. These round balls of soft coconut are often flavored with saffron and rose water to make them heavenly. Apart from Christmas, they are also popular on Ganesh Chaturthi.
Nan Khatai:
A short bread cookie, the nan khatai is very similar to the Pecan Sandies of the U.S. The crumbly, soft, and smooth eggless nan khatais are made with flour, sugar, and clarified butter flavored with cardamom or vanilla and usually had with tea.
Bebinca:
The pride of Goa, this cake is unique to the smallest state of India. It is a layered sweet dish that is prepared with flour, eggs, coconut milk, clarified butter, sugar, and almond garnish. The traditional Bebinca has 16 layers. The sweet, supple sweet is best enjoyed warm with a scoop of ice-cream. It is a must-have for Goans at almost every celebration, be it Christmas, child-birth, or Easter.
Achappam:
It is a sweet very popular among Kerala Christians. It is similar to Scandinavian rosette cookies. Achappam is made with a special iron mold that is dipped in the batter, which is a mixture of rice powder, eggs, coconut milk, and sugar, and then in hot oil. The result is a cookie like sweet that can be stored for subsequent evening snacks.
Found these interesting? Why not ditch the cakes this year for some of this awesome stuff that Indians specialize in?
And when you are done with preparing the sumptuous delicacies, remember that equal importance lies in the presentation. It is truly said that food is first savored by the eyes, and then the tongue. So, how about looking around for some pretty dessert bowls online? You don’t have to go too far. You can buy dessert bowls online in India from Arttdinox.
