Culinary traditions being kept alive in Mussoorie

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Pic Courtesy: Vijendra Pundir

Mussoorie, Jaypee Residency Manor, kept its date with the traditional cake mixing ceremony at the hotel’s Terrace today evening.

For over a decade now, the hotel has been ringing in the festive season with the traditional christmas cake mixing ceremony. Tanuj Nayyar, Executive Chef of the hotel guided the guests to mix some thirty kilograms of ingredients. An interesting array of dry fruits including dates, cherries, black currants, raisins, ginger and orange peals, cashew nuts, Tutti-Frutti and candied pumpkin almonds and figs soaked in ten litres of Rum and Brandy went into  preparing this traditional cake batter.

The Chef explained, “Christmas in no fun without the traditional Christmas Cake. Making this cake is no quick and easy task. We consider this as a ritual to usher in the festive season, good tidings and happiness.”

Pic Courtesy: Deepak Rawat

Author Bill Aitken and Ganesh Saili along with hotel guests, students of Nirmala High School, Mussoorie along with the chef and executives of the hotel took part in the hour long cake mixing ceremony.

Mr Anil Sharma (VP) Jaypee Residency Manor, added, “Festivals break boundaries and bring people together in celebrations. We at the hotel are keeping alive this culinary ritual in the hills with a few close friends from the community.”

Sharing their first-hand experience at cake mixing, a rather shy Bhumika of class 8th said, “one memorable moment for me and my friends. We had fun mixing the cake ingredients and enjoyed every minute of it.” On the other hand, Rajeev Rana also of Class 8th smiling from side to side added, “this was something new that we did. It was loads of fun, wont forget this in a hurry.”

The cake batter will now soak in spirit until 24th of December before it goes into the oven, to be ready in time to ring in Christmas in Mussoorie.