Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
Anyone got a sweet tooth? We were at Cookie Jar - a fine Calcutta/ Kolkata institution - one afternoon when, among the chocolate birthday cakes, I spotted these. Journalists are curious by nature, so of course I had to ask what they were, even though I had sort of guessed what the answer would be. The shop assistant told me that they are called ``pataka'' pastries, deriving their name from the Hindi word for fireworks. Made specially at Diwali time, the marzipan toppings are faithful mini-reproductions of the rockets, catherine wheels and other spectacular light-and-fright specialities that are synonymous with the memorable (and sometimes noisy) festival.
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