‘Pesaha’ appam is a must on Maundy Thursday in many Christian households in Kerala

‘Pesaha’ appam, an unleavened bread made of rice flour, is cooked in many Christian households

For Marina Charles, the flavours of Lent are unfermented, steamed Indri appam, Pesaha appam and kurukku, made at her home in Thiruvananthapuram. That was not all. “Since my mother, Thelma Gomez, hails from St. Andrews near Menamkulam in the capital city, she also used to make sweet hot cross buns, rich in spices like nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and all-spice powder. St Andrews had a unique culture with traces of Portuguese influence and so she used to bake the hot cross buns for Easter. My paternal grandmother, Lydia Gomez, was the one who made the Indri appam (or Pesaha appam) and kurukku, which is also called pesaha paal,” says Marina, a popular cookery instructor and blogger settled in Bengaluru.