Kuswaar conjures Christmas

Those with expertise will add the very traditional rice laddoos that use jaggery syrup as the binding agent and which carry the robust flavour of the milled, red boiled rice and roasted moong dal, nuts, raisins and cardamom. Making some of the extremely traditional sweets nowadays is less about eating but more about keeping the link with cultural roots for many women.

Since most Mangaloreans swear by pork, no Christmas lunch is replete without an indad, baffad or sorpotel eaten with spongy sannas. Roast suckling pig, roast chicken, salads, a sweet chutney and a sweet pulao are very much a part of the menu. However, these days many homes see a blend of the old and the new. So it’s not unusual to tweak the usual to make way for an Afghani leg of lamb or an Awadhi biryani. The whole idea is about family togetherness over a shared meal.
June Carvalho