Friday, November 6, 2009

History of Christmas Cake; mixing of the traditional Christmas cake at Bentota Beach Hotel




The Christmas cake as we know today comes from two customs which were merged into one around 1870 in Victorian England. Originally there was a porridge, the origins of which go back to beginnings of Christianity. Then there was a fine cake made with the finest milled wheat flour, which used to be baked only by richer families. This is because not all homes would have had ovens at that time.

Originally people used to eat a sort of porridge on Christmas Eve. It was a dish to line the stomach after a day`s fasting, which people used to observe for Christmas Eve. Gradually, they began to put spice, dried fruits, honey etc; for the porridge to make it a special dish for Christmas. Much later, it was turned into a pudding, because it got to be so stiff with all the fruits and things that they would tie it in a cloth, and dunk it into a large cauldron of boiling water and boil it for many hours. This turned into Christmas pudding.

Later around the 16th century, it became popular to add butter, replace the oatmeal with wheat flour and add eggs to hold it together better. All Christmas cakes were made in advance. Many make them in November, keeping the cake upside down in an airtight container. A small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured into holes in the cake every week until Christmas. This process is called `feeding` the cake.

Christmas in Sri Lanka is celebrated in the true Lankan style and with great enthusiasm. Sri Lanka shares to some extent the cultural history and environmental features characterizing so much of South Asia. The first sign of Christmas celebrations in the Island nation dates back to many centuries, when Sri Lanka (Ceylon) was ruled by the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and finally by the British.

At Bentota Beach Hotel, an iconic resort world famous for its architectural marvel, Christmas celebrations have always been looked forward to with great enthusiasm and held in grand scale.
Traditional mixing of the cake has been a key event with the whole team – management and all levels of staff getting together eagerly as one family to do the honours. The cake is made to a closely guarded recipe unique to the hotel, which has been passed down by succeeding chefs, and final baking of the cake is done with meticulous care looking into all finer details.

The mixing of the traditional Christmas cake at Bentota Beach Hotel was held in the pontoon whilst cruising on Bentota River. It was held in a unique manner with the participation of the management and three staff members from each individual department, which reflected the true spirit of unity and brotherhood.
Marlon Roberts - Assistant Manager, Bentota Beach Hotel

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