There was a time when ships laden with spices from Wayanad sailed westward from Thalassery. The port, which once traded with the Greek and Roman empires, China, Arabia, Portuguese, Dutch, and French was ultimately seized by the British. Thus, Thalassery became Tellicherry.
In 1883, during the Christmas season, Tellicherry witnessed the birth of India's first cake. 140 years later, the fourth generation of Mambally Bapu, who made the cake, and Brown Saip, the muse, reunited in Thalassery. On a chilly day in the month of Dhanu (Malayalam calendar), a horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of Mambally Bapu's Royal Biscuit Factory, stirring up dust.
Brown Saip got out of the carriage. At the time, Saip was the manager of the world's largest cinnamon plantation. Bapu invited Saip inside.
With curiosity, Bapu opened the parcel that Saip handed to him. It took Bapu, a master of sweets, a few seconds to recognize the item as a delicacy. Saip asked whether Bapu could create a cake like this, with the sweetness of home, the memory of one's roots, and the nostalgia of comfort.
Saip provided some ingredients such as raisins, cocoa, and dates, along with a recipe for making the cake. He also suggested bringing French brandy from Mahe to make the cake batter. Bapu did not let this sweet opportunity slip by.
He requested ten days from Saip. He gathered spices, fruits, and grains from the local markets and began his experiment. He mixed different ingredients in varying proportions to taste.
He prepared a sugary ground with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. He added bananas, cashews, and apples, bathing them in local arrack, which surpassed French brandy in vigour and taste. With these ingredients, he prepared a plum cake-the first cake born on Indian soil.
Bapu's ten-day penance paid off. When Saip tasted the cake, he tasted nostalgia. Saip requested that all the cakes for that year's Christmas celebrations be sent from Bapu's shop.
In 1880, Mambally Bapu opened the Royal Biscuit Factory in Thalassery. He perfected the art of baking he learned in Burma (old Myanmar) by combining his imagination and talent. The glass shelves of the Royal Biscuit Factory were filled with over forty types of biscuits and rusks, varying in size and ingredients.
Gopalan, a descendant of Bapu, made the factory more popular. Soldiers who went to foreign lands to participate in the World War carried biscuits from here, wrapped up with their homesickness. During the Second World War, when Major Cariappa, who was impressed by the flavors of the biscuits here, reached Coorg, he requested that the biscuits be sent to him.
Mambally's heritage isn't confined to cooking alone. The Mambally family has also tasted success in cricket. Many family members have made remarkable achievements in Ranji tournaments.
Mambally Bakery in Thalassery, Brownies Bakery in Kannur, Cochin Bakery in Kozhikode, Shanta Bakery in Thiruvananthapuram, Best Bakery in Thiruvalla, Best Hotel in Kottayam...
as various brands, the Mambally family continues to serve traditional flavors across Kerala and neighboring states. It was a beautiful coincidence that brought Paul Brown, a fourth-generation descendant of the Brown family to Kerala. Working as a dentist in Suffolk, England, Paul learned from his father about his family's close connections with Kerala and their deep bond with the Mambally family.
It was Murdoch Brown, a Scottish trader, who intertwined the Brown family history with Kerala. Having come to Kerala for trade on behalf of the Austrians and the Dutch, Murdoch quickly learned Malayalam, including its local dialects. The British East India Company leased the Anjarakandy Plantation to Murdoch for 99 years.
The establishment of the first sub-registrar office in Kerala at Anjarakandy in 1865 was primarily to document the assets of the Brown family. A member of this family inspired Bapu to meet and make the cake. The news of Brownies Bakery setting a Guinness World Record for making the world's largest cake reached Paul via the internet.
Paul's heart skipped a beat as he saw the name of the legendary Mambally Bapu, a flood of nostalgic tales and childhood wonder washing over him, compelling him to rekindle those old ties. His love was returned manifold by the Mambally family. It was a cultural union, a coming together of two families who shared history.
Like wine that becomes more potent with time, their friendship, enriched by history, strengthened with time. On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the birth of India's first Christmas cake, Paul arrived with his family. The Mambally family gathered to welcome them.
Anjarakandy Plantation, sub-registrar office, agricultural cooperative bank...
The Mampally family took them on a walk through history. Before visiting the Mambally ancestral home, Paul and his family arrived at St. John's Anglican Church Cemetery, where the Brown family was buried.
Under the shadow of the Tellicherry Fort, the dead lay in slumber, cradled by the Sea Goddess. Paul's fingers caressed over the letters that time and weather had worn away. He searched among the overgrown gravestones for the familiar names he had heard.
This is the land where Edward Brennan sleeps. A little further away lies Thomas Harvey Baber, enemy of the Brown family, stretched out straight. He is a figure of historical significance, having served as a revenue officer and later as a sub-collector and district judge.
He bore both the infamy and the prestige of capturing the heroic Pazhassi Raja. The caretaker of the church showed Paul a few graves inscribed with the Brown family name. Some graves bore no writing at all.
People slept inside without leaving any marks or signs behind. Paul drew his daughter closer to his shoulder. Nature joined in silent prayer, receiving the heartfelt homage of the descendants.
The rustling of birds returning to leafy canopies. Everyone walked back through the cool shadows, leaving Paul alone for a moment of reflection. Beneath the black stone slabs covered in moss, the bones trembled, sensing a connection.
The unbroken cycle of birth and death halted momentarily. The sunset hesitated atop the lighthouse of the fort. Between the roots that ran deep into the earth, ancestors handed Paul the secret of eternity, the gentle breeze and the waves beyond hearing.
In the presence of the souls' counsel and the truth of ages, Paul remained silent, awestruck like a sage granted a boon..
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