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Christmas cake: the traditional Sri Lankan treat uniting an island and its diaspora-by Yusra Farzan     Source:Theguardian The nation has been rattled by economic crisis, political upheaval and corruption, but many believe the dessert-making custom could spark joy in these bleak times As a child in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Oryan Cumaraiah-Misso remembers excitedly readying himself in front of a handheld meat grinder to crush cashews. It was his part in his family’s annual tradition of preparing a 60-year-old recipe for Christmas cake that had been passed down for generations. Christmas cake – a moist, decadent treat filled with nuts and fruit – usually kicks off the holiday season on the island nation, and for immigrants in the US, has become a way to preserve traditions from back home. Sri Lanka’s Christmas cake is similar to the fruit cake, a quintessentially British dish, but has since evolved from its colonial roots. Like the ...