The word 'Kuswar' instantly brings to mind the Kulkuls that are loved by the people of all ages. Kulkuls can be eaten plain (made with slightly sweetened dough) or rolled in (mael) sugar icing (preferred by kids especially). Kuswar is almost synonymous with the twin terms Kidyo-Gulio. Gulio (meaning marbles/round pellets) refers to rice marbles which are slightly hard to bite.
Although most of the Kuswar used to be made at home when I was a kid, as the years passed by we stuck to making just the kulkuls & rice laddoos (thandhlache laadu) at home and the rest of the Kuswar was bakery bought. My dad would buy the plum cake, neuries (sweet puffs), kokkisan (roce cookies) in addition to walnuts, oranges (from Coorg) and Nendra bananas (also called as macho/Kerala bananas). This combination of sweets (home made & bakery bought), seasonal fruits & nuts made Christmas even more special. While the rest of the goodies got over soon, the kulkuls lasted well into the new year (as they were made in bulk)
