By Kavita Peter

Issue no 24

The 18th century British poet and abolitionist Helena Williams, summed the Christmas spirit brilliantly in this excerpt. Where else can the confluence of taste and memory of joyous times come true but in the baking of Christmas cake? We can all agree the “Cake” that Williams calls “Life’s calendar of bliss and pain” is a good and sweet way to round up the year. Culinary historians attribute its origins to the plum porridge in medieval Europe. After a day of fasting, this warm and nourishing meal was what people ate on Christmas.