Breudher, also known as Brueder or Bloeder (pronounced as ''broo-dhuh''), is a traditional
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n
Dutch Burgher buttery yeast
cake, baked in a
fluted mould. A variation, Bleuda, Kueh Bleuda or Kue Bludder is also found in the
Malacca Dutch Eurasian community and in
Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
, a city in the south-west of
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
The mould used to bake the Breudher is typically a heavy
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
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.
Each family has its own variation, but essentially the recipe for Breudher consists of
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
, sugar, eggs, bread dough, milk,
nutmeg and
raisins/
sultanas. The end product is a bread like cake with a slight yeasty taste.
Breudher is traditionally served at Christmas breakfast, and New Years Day, cut into slices, spread with butter and topped with
Dutch Edam cheese or fruit, such as green skinned bananas.
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. 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.
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
The National Library Board (NLB) is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Digital Development and Information of the government of Singapore. The board manages the public libraries throughout the country.
The national l ...
believes that breudher is a derivate of "the Dutch word, ''brood-tulband'', referring to the fluted turban-shaped mould used to make it".
[ 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.]
See also
* Butter cake
* Pound cake
* Bundt cake
* Love cake
* Broeder
References
{{Cakes
Cakes
Sri Lankan cuisine
Dutch words and phrases