While rummaging through the archives of what this world has to offer, there are just a few things that tend to stir up that perfect mix of nostalgia and appetite in the heart of a true blue ‘Bangali’ — one of those things being the city’s heritage bakeries. From time immemorial they have been reigning in the heart of the city’s food culture, satiating a sinful ride with their traditional puffs and patties, and decadent cakes. And they have impacted the growing phase of my life as well.
Since my college days in St. Xavier’s, I have had the urge to unearth the hidden gems of bakeries and confectioners that were existing quietly in the heart of the city. While performing with my band, Lakkhichhara, across the adjacent areas of Park Street and New Market, the exposure widened further. College days came in with a new set of friends from the Anglo-Indian community and, with that, came my appetite to unfold their tales from the past — the trail of bakeries and their history in Calcutta.
Flurys
The name itself evokes a legacy treasured for close to a century, ever since its inception in the year 1927, as much as it reignites the early memory from my college days on Park street. Many of my days were spent bunking college with my classmates to try out the iconic favourite pastries of Satyajit Ray, or Mrinal Sen’s choice of patisserie. Flurys was just not any cafeteria.
Compared with the traditional, rustic and embedded ethos of Calcutta’s Indian Coffee House, Flurys was donning the ritz and glamour of Park Street, becoming the other favourite spot for the people. Even today, Flurys on Park Street holds a special place in my heart. Gone are the days when I would pick up seven-eight rum balls all at one go from the trays of savouries and pastries supported on the chests of waiters who walked around with them at Flurys — it was a very common sight back when — but I am never too old to try my hand at one or two even today! Do try some of my favourites, and Flurys’s best — Cinnamon Roll, Baba Cake and Choco Short Bread.
Nahoum & Sons
During Christmas season Nahoum's sells its cakes as fast as it can bake them
Amidst the bustling crowd and the vibrant cacophony of Hogg Market, this 1916’s vintage Jewish establishment was once selling door-to-door, melting hearts with its Jibben, or the salted cheese snack. With its Italian marble counters and Belgian glass cases, even today, Nahoum’s stands tall with its colonial architecture and the cosmopolitan past. As you push open the glass door, the winter chill fades away and is replaced by the dizzying aroma of freshly-baked bread and memories of simpler times. This legendary Jewish bakery had been waging a battle with contemporary, sprouting cafeterias with its indomitable culinary spirit and the aromatic seduction with its Pantras, Fragnant Marzipan Fudge Cake, Macron Cake, Lemon Tart, and definitely its iconic fruit cake.
Saldanha Bakery
The author (right) with Alisha (centre) and Deborah Alexandra of Saldanha Bakery
Walking down the dingy street of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, past a few lanes, don’t be surprised if you find yourself being pulled against your will towards the savoury of corn puffs. It’s no magic if you have ended up in front of a yellow house, with Saldanha inscribed in bold letters. Today, it is being run by the third generation of women of Goan roots. Saldanha was once, back in 1930, just a home-bakery making walnut cakes, cream rolls and chicken patties. It was flourishing with these few ruling the hearts. Much later, the legacy continued with the next-in-line adding newer items like the chicken quiche. Eventually, Saldanha brought in pastries and desserts inspired from different parts of the world. However, when asked why they never thought of opening a shop, the answer was very simple — the idea was never to commercialise it because that would cause food waste, which was strictly against the idea behind Saldanha.
Currently run by Deborah Alexandra and her daughter Alisha, a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu, Saldanha has introduced many colourful wedding cakes on special orders with a modern touch from Alisha’s exposure to the world. She gave up her banking career to invest all her time in the bakery because, as we all put it, Christmas in Calcutta would never be the same without Saldanha’s cakes.
J.N. Barua
Those who have the eyes for it, end up having it. And sitting in Calcutta, a true soul’s search during Christmas might make you end up buying a gem like Chhana Pora Cake from J.N. Barua. Chances are you would overlook this tiny shop with chipped blue walls and a crooked board hanging from the store with the name in fading red. But J.N. Barua still resists fading! Back in Dhaka, J.N. Barua dreamt of baking something for the people and with this dream he crossed borders to come up with a small shop on Robert Street in Calcutta’s Bowbazar area. Against the backdrop of a tumultuous Bengal Partition, the only thing that soothed Barua’s heart amidst the conflict of his roots and his dream was the rising popularity of his handmade Chhana Pora Cake — something different from the Anglo-Indian bakery scene that was dominant in the city of Calcutta. Today’s J.N. Barua looks a tad rundown, with J.N.’s eldest son Ratan looking after the tiny shop singlehandedly, still casting the magic spell of Fruit Cake, homemade Wine Cake made with fermented apples, grapes, ginger and more. And to give relief to the sweet tooth, they also serve a small yet unique range of patties including Mutton Patties and Coconut Patties.
Chhana Pora Cake by J.N. Barua
K. Ali Bakery
Waiting to be discovered is K. Ali Bakery, which is almost an anonymous shop tucked away in a corner of congested Kidderpore and was set up amidst the rising confectioners back in the pre-Independence era. It was much later, during the Japanese bombing raids on Calcutta back in 1942 during World War II, when a two-hour of curfew relaxation led Ali to roll up his sleeves to prepare the now-iconic item of K. Ali Bakery — German bread — to stock up in the house. Ever since, people have been indebted to the shop, not just to the insurmountable effort but also the marvelous flavours that K. Ali produced through the German bread. Even today, no other German bread around the city has been able to reach close to their taste. But that’s not all! Another landmark that K. Ali made was by appropriating the Mughlai flatbread, also known as Bakarkhani (named by Bangladeshi Aga Bakar after his Queen Khami Begum). K. Ali Bakery has been the sole name in popularising and laying the pathway for the proliferation of Bakarkhani. Even today, K. Ali stands tall as a century-old shop that has not yet forgotten to serve a freshly baked plateful of these flatbreads to drool over.
The Bakery & WILSON’s AT The Lalit Great Eastern
Yes, this is the one with the glorious old-world charm echoing the tales of colonial days. As you sip a cup of coffee alongside their legendary Apple Cinnamon Tea Cake, know that you have just entered that sepia-toned era of Calcutta’s past. A gourmet abode of famous personalities such as Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, pianist Dave Brubeck and others, The Bakery & Wilson’s is still serving a few of their classics with no change in flavours, like their legendary Fruit Cake and Bread Roll. And in case you wish to experience some of the unique inventions that history witnessed, they would be Orange Rosemary Muffin, and Grissini.
Mullick Confectioners
This 147-year-old bakery founded by Aftabuddin Mullick is steeped in the heritage of the pre-Second World War era. A small, simple store with not much ado, Mullick Confectioners oozes nostalgia from every corner of its shop. Its wide range of over 100 items look simple but have flavours and quality that remain unbeatable. Mullick Confectioners has been a destination for many households for generations. A patron from north Calcutta used to travel all the way from Hatibagan to New Market just to buy a pound of cake for her 60-year-old grandfather because Mullick has been his favourite confectioners since his childhood and it also is the first memory ofhis birthday.
She says: “We bring his favourite Nankhatai and Plum Cake every time to celebrate his birthday. Even though dadu is slowly missing out on the Nankhatai for the lost teeth, the Plum Cake still reigns in his heart as a fond memory from his past. This Plum Cake is dadu’s second best after his wife, my dadi, started making it the Mullick style.”
During Christmas, Mullick Confectioners is a sight to watch with queues lining up only to take back home some memories we all grew up with!
Imperial Bakers and Confectioners
The history behind Imperial starts since the British Raj when young house help, Md Yaqub, was working for Sir Stuart Hogg and Yaqub’s fair skin gave him a special place in the heart of Sir Stuart. Gradually, Yaqub started partaking in several household chores, including the traditional baking procedure during Christmas. Years later, Sir Stuart was gone, as was British imperialism, but one thing remained: a confectionery shop in the Hogg Market premises called Imperial Bakers and Confectioners, selling some gems like Nolen Gur Cake, Almond Tart, Moong Daal Patties, and Coconut Crunch. Today, Imperial is being managed by the fifth generation, Md Parvez Rehman, with the same quality that Imperial was known for almost 150 years back.
The Kanchan
While Nahoum’s and Saldanha have become brand names being situated in the heart of Calcutta, the city has a dedicated baker’s lane that I came to know about in time through the intensive search for good bakeries around the city. And situated in Janbazar is this 60-year-old bakery shop in a dingy lane, where you see a queue almost every time you pass by, with orders going up to 700 per hour during Christmas. This is none other than The Kanchan bakery, known for their instant customisable cakes made right in front of their patrons. If you stumble across this crackling part of the city coming to life with the fragrance of vanilla dipped in cream and butter ready to be baked in the oven, do try their Nolen Gur Cake, Plum and Fruit Cake, alongside some Almond Cakes.
Finally, to wrap up, I put my pen down just to sneak out for a piece of rich cake from a shop near my house. Bakery has attained heights in recent times with pastry chefs coming into the culinary domain. But this heart wants no more than a rich plum cake with a flavourful blast from the past!
Debaditya Chaudhury is a food entrepreneur who owns brands like Chowman, Oudh 1590 and Chapter 2. He is also a musician and the keyboardist of the popular Bangla band Lakkhichhara
