SHANGLA: Eid joys are incomplete without the taste of traditional cake in Shangla, which is presented to guests, friends and family members when they visit each other’s houses after a month of fasting.

According to local people, the cake baking season usually starts in the last 10 days of Ramazan in the area, while it is the basic gift sent to married daughters by their parents. The special cake is also sent as a gift to loved ones and friends in other cities before Eid.

Nizamuddin, a resident, said that in Puran tehsil the cake was part of ancient tradition which was widely liked by local people. He said that now young girls in houses made big size cakes, which were better and more delicious.

About the cake recipe, a local girl Gulalai said that wheat flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, ghee and dry fruits were used in its making, which took 15 minutes. She said that some people used mixture of rice, but such cakes were less popular in the area.

She said that homemade cakes were also popular in Lelonai, Shahpur, Bisham and other parts of the district, but the baking recipes were different. She said that Puran cake was liked widely by people for its taste.

Dry fruit, peanuts, coconut, almond, walnut, etc, and milk were added to the cake mixture to make it tasty.

Former nazim Manzoor Ahmed told this scribe that women carried it as gift to relatives during wedding and other occasions. Moreover, it is being presented to guests in the breakfast normally. He said that girls and boys these days gifted cakes to relatives while visiting their homes.

Nizamuddin said that the local people also offered the traditional cake to teachers when they admitted their children to the school. He said that these cakes were prepared by women in their houses. However, some houses are particularly famous for baking the tasty cakes.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2018