by Nidhi Murthi 

December is here, and so is Christmas, our favourite winter day of the year. Food and stories are the important ingredients that connect us in a celebration. Let us explore how different Indian regions celebrate Christmas with their unique festive foods. 

Bebinca 

According to legend, a Portuguese nun named ‘Sister Bebiana’ from Santa Monica Convent, Old Goa, used the excess of leftover egg yolks to create a seven-layered cake. Each layer represented the seven hills of Old Goa and Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Taking the priests’ suggestion, Bebiana added a dozen layers to her cake instead of seven. The dessert came to be known as ‘Bebinca’, named after her. Today, Bebinca is a multi-layered cake, made with up to 16 layers. As making this cake requires a lot of patience, many Goan families reserve Bebinca for special celebrations, such as weddings and Christmas.  

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Gajrela or Carrot Pudding 

Around the 16th-century, in Mughal India, Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Pudding) was made as a rich, milk-and-ghee-based winter dish. It was created to celebrate the harvest of vibrant red winter carrots, which are available in North India during the month of December. Known as Gajrela in Punjab, grated carrots are slow cooked in sugar, milk, cardamom, and heaps of ghee, with khoya, or mawa, a kind of soft cheese, folded in for texture at the end. Gajrela is now enjoyed as a warm, aromatic food during the cold Christmas in Punjab, making it a favourite across the region.  

Plum Cake 

In 1880, a trader from Thalassery in Kerala, Mambally Bapu, returned home after he learnt the art of making biscuits in Burma. In 1883, during Christmas time, a British planter named Murdoch Brown brought a British Plum cake with him and asked Bapu to replicate it. Bapu accepted the challenge and baked a plum cake, but added arrack, a local brew made from cashews, apples, and Kadalipazham, a type of banana, to the batter. Brown tasted Bapu’s cake and loved the dish. Since then, plum cakes have become deeply associated with Christmas celebrations in Kerala and are widely enjoyed by the local community. 

Smoked Pork Curry  

In Nagaland, smoked pork holds deep cultural importance and is especially significant during Christmas. The traditional practice of smoking meat began as a way to preserve pork during the cold winter months. Over time, it became a cherished culinary tradition passed down through generations. Today, smoked pork curry is an essential part of Christmas celebrations, symbolising warmth, togetherness, and sharing food with family and community. It is commonly eaten with steamed rice and enjoyed alongside tea or locally brewed drinks. 

Roast Duck 

Did you know that ‘Boro Din’ (Big Day) is a popular Bengali name for Christmas in Kolkata? During British colonial rule, many Anglo-Indian communities were formed in West Bengal. They followed British traditions, including roasting poultry for Christmas. Ducks were used as they were more readily available in the Bengal wetlands than turkeys. Over time, most people added their own touch by including spices like cinnamon, ginger, and red chilli powder to the roast duck and paired it with fragrant yellow rice (pulao) or roasted vegetables, passing the recipe down through generations. So, Roast Duck has an important place in the community’s Christmas feasts in Kolkata, even today. 

This year let’s enjoy the flavours of Christmas along with the stories attached to it. In the end, that’s what makes the moment truly special. 

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