M A I N   N E W S

Tough liquor laws drive plum cakes off Mumbai shelves
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Woman’s arrest The excise department arrested a woman who made liqueur-filled chocolates and cakes on orders from friends. The wide publicity given to the event put off most of the bakeries in Mumbai from selling plum cakes for Christmas. According to excise department, those selling cakes and confectionery with alcohol in them will require a permit that costs Rs 85,00 per year. However, small bakeries and housewives, who bake as a hobby say such hefty licence fees make the business unviable.

Mumbai, December 25
Gourmets, who eagerly await Christmas for that slice of rich plum cake and a glass of wine, have been forced to sponge off their Christian friends as tough laws regarding sale of alcohol has forced cakes made of rum-soaked fruits off the menu in Maharashtra.

Earlier this year, the excise department arrested a middle-aged woman who made liqueur-filled chocolates and cakes on orders from friends for doing business without a licence. The wide publicity given to the event put off most of the bakeries in Mumbai from selling plum cakes for Christmas. “We stopped making plum cakes this year as we don't want to get in trouble with the authorities,” says Celistine D'Souza, a baker from suburban Mumbai.

Rich plum cakes liberally sprinkled with dry fruits like sultanas, raisins and walnuts soaked in copious amounts of rum over several weeks have been a feature of Christmas celebrations among East Indian and Goan Catholic families in Mumbai for generations. “Earlier these cakes were made at home and shared with family and friends, but with everyone holding full-time jobs, we order these cakes from bakers and women who make them specially for Christmas,” says Joel Fernandes, a resident of Dahisar in suburban Mumbai.

This year, with bakers and housewives, who bake cakes for Christmas running scared, people have had to make do with ‘ordinary’ plum cakes that do not have the rich flavour and aroma of rum.

According to the excise department, those selling cakes and confectionery with alcohol in them will require a permit that costs Rs 85,00 per year. However, small bakeries and housewives, who bake as a hobby say such hefty licence fees make the business unviable. Many also fear trouble from excise officials who could raid their premises looking for contraband.

The tough laws have, however, forced many families to brush up their baking skills and hunt down old recipe books ahead of Christmas. “I baked a plum cake in many years based on a recipe I learnt from my grandmother,” says Cheryl Barretto who works as a receptionist at a Mumbai company.

Others have to simply pay a bit more to their regular suppliers and hope that their orders are delivered. According to the buzz in colonies dominated by the Christian community, women who still bake these cakes quietly took orders from their regular customers.

Those who wanted to stick to the straight and narrow path however had to make do with high-priced offerings from pastry shops at five-star hotels, though.