By Jasmine Kaur
Come Christmas, each culture whips up their own set of traditions and practices, amidst which stands out this Nagaland tradition of making doughnuts.
For the unversed, doughnuts are round shaped fried delights that are covered with toppings, sprinklers and more. Also called oily cakes, it is the hollow centre that makes them special.
For the world, doughnuts may be an ordinary, everyday sweet meat but for the people of Nagaland, Christmas celebrations are incomplete without them.
Practiced by the Ao community, the tradition of making doughnuts on Christmas is believed to have been started by Christian missionaries during the British rule but exact date is unknown.
Unlike regular doughnuts, these ones have a thinner ring and are made with baking powder, flour sugar and ghee which lends gives them an unmatched richness.
These Naga doughnuts are cooked over wood-fire that gives them a smoky flavour and dark brown colour, charred appearance. They have a sweet, powdery bite which makes them unique.