Breudher Explained

Breudher
Alternate Name:Breuder, Bloeder
Type:Cake
Main Ingredient:yeast, eggs, butter, sugar, nutmeg, raisins
Calories:100

Breudher, also known as Brueder or Bloeder (pronounced as broo-dhuh), is a traditional Sri Lankan Dutch Burgher buttery yeast cake, baked in a fluted mould.[1] [2] [3] A variation, Bleuda, Kueh Bleuda or Kue Bludder is also found in the Malacca Dutch Eurasian community and in Kochi, a city in the south-west of India.[4]

The mould used to bake the Breudher is typically a heavy brass or iron mould with deep groves with a tube in the centre, so that when the cake is baked, it comes out in a grooved ring shape with a central cylindrical hole.[5]

Each family has its own variation, but essentially the recipe for Breudher consists of butter, sugar, eggs, bread dough, milk, nutmeg and raisins/sultanas. The end product is a bread like cake with a slight yeasty taste.[6]

Breudher is traditionally served at Christmas breakfast,[7] and New Years Day,[8] cut into slices, spread with butter and topped with Dutch Edam cheese or fruit, such as green skinned bananas.[9] [10]

The difference in the recipe between the Sri Lanka Dutch Burgher and the Malacca Dutch Eurasian community, is that the Malaccan version uses toddy (fermented sap from the flower of the coconut tree) instead of yeast.[11] [12] It is likely that toddy was used as a local substitute when yeast was difficult to source. In Cochin bakers use maida flour, ghee (instead of butter), candied orange peel, a blend of ground spices and serve it as a bread loaf. Traditionally the local Anglo-Indian community serve it as part of breakfast during a wake, seven days after a funeral.[13] [14]

Origin

Breudher originated from traditional Dutch Broeder cake. Breudher is a derivate of "the Dutch word, broeder, referring to the bag (broederzak) in which the cake is cooked.

Breudher is most likely to have originated from traditional Dutch breakfast cakes and breads, such as Ontbijtkoek or the German Kugelhupf. Singaporean food writer, Sylvia Tan, in Forgotten Foods and Mealtime Memories, published by the National Library Board believes that breudher is a derivate of "the Dutch word, brood-tulband, referring to the fluted turban-shaped mould used to make it".[13] Brood-tulband literally translates to ‘bread turban’, a description of its peculiar shape. The flute turban shaped Breudher cake, has all the ingredients which were commonly used in Dutch East Indies households: butter, sugar, eggs and spices. The main feature which makes the Breudher cake, particular is its usage of nutmeg, some spices and egg yolks.

The Malacca Portuguese Eurasians claim it as originating from their community, which is said to be a traditional Malacca Portuguese cake. However, there was a significant emigration of Ceylonese Burghers to Malacca in the early 1900s who brought with them their food and customs, assimilating into the local Eurasian community.[15] It is generally concluded that "Breudher" originated from the Dutch and that the Portuguese "Blueda" is derived from the Dutch version.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Food of Sri Lanka. Bullis, Douglas. Hutton, Wendy. Tuttle Publishing. 2001. 18. 9781462907182.
  2. News: Frikkadels and lamprais: The best of Burgher cooking. Thiruni. Kelegama. The Sunday Times. 14 November 2019.
  3. Web site: Breudher. Glorious Food. Glorious Food Glossary. 16 November 2019.
  4. News: Bundt it like breudher. The Hindu. Priyadershini, S.. 31 August 2017. 18 November 2019.
  5. Book: Tan, Christopher. NerdBaker: Extraordinary Recipes, Stories & Baking Adventures from a True Oven Geek. Epigram Books. 2015. 9789814615761.
  6. Book: Sri Lankan Cooking. Bullis, Douglas. Hutton, Wendy. Tuttle Publishing. 2014. 9781462905775.
  7. News: Your guide to eating well this Christmas. The Sunday Morning. 9 December 2018. 16 November 2019.
  8. News: Ethnic Cooking : Poffertjes of the Season. LA Times. 3 December 1992. Hansen. Barbara. 18 November 2019.
  9. Book: The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Reeves, Peter. Editions Didier Millet. 2013. 43. 9789814260831.
  10. Book: The Globalization of Asian Cuisines: Transnational Networks and Culinary. Farrer, James. Springer. 2015. 9781137514080.
  11. Web site: The Double Deaths of Toddy and Bluder Cake . Tuck Shop. Sheere. Ng. 11 April 2018. 16 November 2019.
  12. Book: Singapore Eurasians: Memories, Hopes And Dreams. Pereira, Alexius A.. World Scientific. 2016. 254. 9789813109612.
  13. Web site: The Story of a Dutch Bread called Breudher. Route Cochin. Rajoo, Ananya. 19 November 2019.
  14. News: Tracing Breudher. Deccan Chronicle. Thomas. Elizabeth. 24 September 2017. 19 November 2019.
  15. Book: Kenneison, Rebecca. Playing for Malaya. Flipside Digital Content Company Inc. 2013. 9789971697327.