KOCHI: These days, very few seek out Breudher, a bread with Dutch origins. Baked only on Saturdays at a single bakery in Pattalam, Fort Kochi, just 10 to 15 loaves are produced weekly for those who still savour it for Sunday breakfast. Demand from the Anglo-Indian community is declining, and only a few are familiar with the process of baking this bread, which is made from flour, dried fruits, and cinnamon.
It is also known as the ‘Bread of the Dead’ due to its use by the Anglo-Indian community on occasions such as wake ceremonies or the seventh day of demise.
The Breudher arrived in Fort Kochi over 300 years ago, likely on a Dutch VOC ship, and has since become an integral part of the community. Over the centuries, variations have crept into the recipe as it travelled across continents. Some say the version we have today is a corrupted variant of the original.
Culinary anthropologist and chef, Oneal Sabu said that Breudher can now be found only in Fort Kochi, with no other place in India offering this bread. Dutch ovens and Bundt moulds were predominantly used to make a Breudher but over time, the shape and feel of the Breudher has changed from being a pound cake to a bread as local folk ate the Breudher mostly with a green robusta, he added.
Santosh PP, who runs Quality Bakery in Pattalam, told TNIE that demand has waned and only a few loaves are made for the regulars. His bakery is the only one that still makes Breudher, with Elite Bakery, which used to bake Breudher buns, closing during the pandemic.
“When we leased the bakery from the family that owns it, we learnt the recipe so we could cater to the small Anglo-Indian community. Many people from far and wide come occasionally, having read or heard about it,” he said.
Quality bakes Breudher by adding caramelised sugar and raisins.
Harry Gunther, a descendant of Johannes Hendrik Hoogewerf, a Dutch VOC seaman who arrived in Travancore in 1758, fondly remembers his paternal grandfather’s love for Breudher bread.
“He would insist on getting us Breudher bread for special occasions. During our childhood, he would purchase it from Rozario’s Bakery or Cochin Bakery. Each family has their unique recipe and ingredients for Breudher bread, which is traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven, giving it a distinctive crust and texture. The taste varies between bakeries,” Harry recalled.
He believes that Breudher bread originated in Germany, using natural starters for fermentation instead of commercial yeast. “The Dutch popularised this bread in India, and it was a staple in many Anglo-Indian families for Sunday breakfast or special occasions,” he said.
Harry reminisces about the old days when Breudher bread was available at iconic bakeries like Rozario’s on Broadway, Cochin Bakery on MG Road, and Coelho Bakery on Market Road, all of which have since closed down.
Oneal says “Breudher is one of the oldest examples of a Bundt-shaped treat that’s half cake, half bread, distinguished by its use of nutmeg. The name Breudher comes from the Dutch word ‘brood,’ meaning bread.”
He is on a mission to revive the lost recipes of Old Cochin through social media and his pop-ups. By adapting original recipes from Breudher’s closest relatives—the cake-like Bloedher of Sri Lanka and the bread-like Blends of Malacca—Oneal aims to bring these flavours back to life.