As Hyderabad celebrates Christmas today, the mood is festive with fairy lights and classic red and white decorations. Just like every other festival in India, food is the heart of Christmas too. While plum cake receives all the attention at this time of year, rose cookies are a snack that steals the show in many South Indian homes, including those in Hyderabad.

Delicate, crisp, and intricately shaped like flowers, these sweet snacks are sold all year round but are a special holiday staple, made in kitchens across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Beyond their crunchy texture, rose cookies carry with them memories of family traditions, the aroma of freshly fried treats, and the joy of sharing homemade delights with loved ones.

Rose cookies, also known as achu murukku in Tamil, achappam in Malayalam, and gulabi puvvulu in Telugu, have a fascinating history that blends Indian culinary traditions with colonial influences. The crisp, lacy design of the cookie is believed to have been inspired by European rosette cookies, brought to India during the Portuguese and Dutch periods. Over time, these treats were adapted using local ingredients like rice flour, coconut milk, and cardamom, giving them a distinctly South Indian flavour and texture.

In South India, rose cookies are more than just a sweet snack, they are an integral part of Christmas celebrations. Families start preparing them days in advance, often involving multiple generations in the process.

The preparation itself is a festive ritual: the batter is made with rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and cardamom, and must be smooth and slightly thick to coat the iron mould evenly. The mould is heated in hot oil, dipped into the batter, and then returned to the oil for frying. Each cookie crisps and separates from the mould, forming its signature delicate, lacy shape. Interestingly, many families own moulds in other shapes as well, like butterflies, stars, and other floral patterns.

Once fried, the cookies are drained, cooled, and stored in airtight tins, ready to be shared with family, friends, and neighbours during the festive season.

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