Over 40 years ago, in December 1883, India got its first Christmas cake. The history of cakes in India traces back to Kerala’s Thalassery where Mambally Bapu reportedly baked the first cake of India. During the British reign, Thalassery became Tellicherry and at that time ships laden with spices from Wayanad sailed westward from the port in Thalassery. Read on to find out how India got its first cake.
Who baked India’s first cake
In 1883, during the Christmas season, a merchant named Murdock Brown, came to Mambally Bapu’s Royal Biscuit Factory and handed him a parcel that he had bought from England. As Bapu opened the parcel, he understood that the item kept in it is a delicacy. Brown, who was the manager of the world’s largest cinnamon plantation, requested Bapu to bake a replica of this cake. He also gave him some ingredients such as raisins, cocoa, and dates, along with a recipe for baking.
Bapu had an exceptional talent of baking that he learned in Burma (old Myanmar). The shelves of Bapu’s bakery Royal Biscuit Factory were filled with around forty types of biscuits and rusks. Mambally Bapu, who had never baked a cake, could not let this opportunity of expanding his skillset go and agreed to Brown’s request but with certain improvisations.
Bapu baked India’s first cake with local ingredients
While sharing the recipe for the cake, Brown also told Bapu to buy a French brandy from adjacent Mahe, or Mayyazhi. However, as this area was 14 kms away, Bapu decided to use locally sourced ingredients. He substituted the French Brandy with a locally brewed liquor made of cashew, apple, and banana varieties, Kadalipazham. A blacksmith in Dharmadam, on the outskirts of Thalassery, had prepared the cake’s mould based on the description given by Bapu.
The Indian Plum cake
On December 20, 1884, Brown reached Bapu’s shop and tasted the first plum cake in India. The ingredients swapping did the magic as Brown liked this cake even more than the one he had in his hometown. The nostalgia hit him and he instantly ordered a dozen of cakes. This is how the first plum cake was created in India. After Mambally Bapu, his bakery was taken to great heights by his successor, Mambally Gopalan. Soldiers who went to foreign lands to participate in the World War carried biscuits from the Royal Biscuit Factory.
The bakery stands strong
Till date, Mambally’s Royal Biscuit Factory is standing strong and is one of the most famous plum cake joints in the country. Kerala has India’s largest plum cake market, and the Mambally family has a major share in this business. Family members operate the top bakeries in Kerala including the Cochin Bakery in Kochi, Shantha Bakery in Thiruvananthapuram, Modern Bakery in Kozhikode, Best Baking Co. in Kottayam, and Mambally’s in Thalassery.
