I truly believe that the aroma of certain food can trigger visceral memories.
I always associate the smell of sizzling beef steak, with just the right amount of fat and with a hint of calamansi, with my mother cooking breakfast for me every day.
The scent of ripe mangoes—the ones I peel and eat with both hands, the juice dripping down my chin and sometimes down my shirt as well, to the great grief of my mom – evokes carefree childhood memories.
The distinct odor of deep-fried fish balls, squid balls and kikiam, on the other hand, reminds me of my college years when, on days that my baon was not enough, I make do with 10 pieces of fish balls (P5 at 50 centavo per piece) paired with P3 rice—extra gravy, Manang, please.
The same rush of food memories happened to me during the first-ever annual Christmas cake-mixing festivity of Grand Hyatt Manila.
Members of the media were invited to join the 17th-century tradition that signals the start of the merriest of seasons, ushering in good tidings for the holiday that is still almost three months away.
There were big pans filled with figs, walnuts, sultanas, grapes, pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, dates, dried apricots, and glazed fruits. When pastry chef Saban Cavlak generously poured rum over the mix, the delicious scents came together and transported me to merry Christmases past.
There was the five-foot tall green Christmas tree near the sofa at the sala area of our old house in Pasig City (which we have since sold, no thanks to Typhoon Ondoy, but that is another story). It was adorned with red and gold decors, although there were years when mom would feel the urge to redecorate and fill the tree with blue and white ornaments. There would be several gift boxes at the foot of the Christmas tree, all bearing the logo of Sta. Lucia Mall which was nearest to us back then.
Perhaps Chef Cavlak experienced the same, for he started talking about his mother—the original pastry chef in his family and a famous one in the community in Turkey where he grew up.
“My mother was also a pastry chef. We would prepare fruitcakes for winter time, and everything was mixed by hand,” he said.
“In Europe, the mixing of the fruits and nuts is traditionally done in September, which is the harvest season. The mix is placed in a cold part of the house or in a cellar, and it would be laced with alcohol every week,” added Chef Cavlak.
As for the fruitcakes of Grand Hyatt Manila, these will be available in November at Florentine, the luxury hotel’s premium pastry and retail shop.
I’m at joyce.panares@gmail.com.