McCluskieganj’s Yuletide fervour

Winter vacations at McCluskieganj for most Anglo-Indians of that sleepy hamlet in Jharkhand, then Bihar, meant homecoming of family and relatives from all parts of the world, writes Lesley D Biswas

As Kolkata, my home for the past two decades and one of the prime cities where one can experience Christmas traditions much like they were celebrated in the days of yore when Park Street dazzled with twinkling lights, street-side restaurants hosted live music shows and Flurys, the landmark bakery sold delectable European confectionaries — I feel a pull at my heartstrings and memories of my hometown come rushing back. Festivals are a time for family gatherings and the Christmas season takes me back to my childhood spent in McCluskieganj when I eagerly awaited the winter vacations, as most Anglo-Indians of that sleepy hamlet in Jharkhand, (then Bihar) did, for it meant homecoming of family and relatives from all parts of the world. My uncles, aunts and first cousins returned to ‘Park Grange’, our maternal grandparents’ home which overflowed with chatter and laughter as the extended family gathered together over a traditional Christmas dinner comprising mostly chicken or duck roast, shepherd’s pie and caramel custard.

In the early eighties, McCluskieganj had a robust Anglo-Indian population and community gatherings during the festive season were popular with cakes and wine being an integral part of the feasting, whether dark plum cake bursting with the goodness of dry fruit soaked in rum, served with tea on annual sports day; or mulberry wine on Christmas eve, when people came together for a game of Bingo, before setting off for midnight mass. The community’s fondness for fresh fruit and obsession with pickling and canning meant most families grew their own fruit trees. Naturally, jams and jellies found their way into cakes too. Mum made lemon marmalade with the juicy lemons from our backyard. After washing the lemons she put them in a pan, added water to cover the fruit and boiled them until soft. Sliced into halves, she scooped out the pulp, removed pips and pith and chopped them roughly, then returned to the pan, adding sugar and water and cooked until syrup turned thick. Christmas time grandma baked a variety of cakes in her old kerosene oven and whenever I need her warm, comforting hug, I bake her vanilla cake. Family recipes not only keep community traditions alive, but they are also a way to remember those wonderful days especially in current times when gathering around a dining table and savouring a simple family meal has become a luxury not many of us experience anymore. So while warm slices of vanilla cake might be perfect by themselves, I often add a filling of lemon marmalade after the cake cools down. The fusion of sweet vanilla flavour with a hint of bitter marmalade come together just like our family did during those delightful Christmas gatherings.

Like cookbook author, Julie Van Rosendaal, fondly recalls her summers in Alberta, and writes in her cookbook Out of the Orchard: Recipes from Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums and other Juicy Tree Fruits from the Sunny Okanagan, “Every juicy fruit brings a little bit of that summer sunshine into my kitchen, and I hope to pass it on to yours,” — may these Yuletide flavours from our hometown spread cheer around the world this festive season.