KASHMIRIS AND THEIR BAKERY PRODUCTS

            
Photo Autar Mota 

 

KASHMIRIS AND THEIR BAKERY PRODUCTS

A Kandhur ( traditional baker ) is an inalienable part of social life in Kashmir. It remains so for Kashmiris who live in the plains of the country. He is the source of Telvor or Tchochivor that a Kashmiri needs for his Sheer Chai or salted tea. He is the source of the delicious Kulcha, Katlam , Girdha , Lavaas Gyav Tseot and Sheermal of a Kashmiri.

Wherever they go. Kashmiris try to carry three things, Kangri, Kadam and Kandhur. This is a general tendency with Kashmiris. You can see Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims carrying Kangri or the firepot to Jammu, Delhi and other places in the country. You can see Kashmiri bakery being sold in Jammu and Delhi. And the Kadam or Kohlrabi has become popular in the entire north India thanks to Kashmiris who introduced it to the north Indian cuisine.

In Kashmir, the Kandur or the traditional Kashmiri baker's shop is a social hub. The demand and supply matrix at this shop works in favour of the gossip mongers. During the morning hours, everyone wants to have the Kandhur bread and that too freshly baked. It takes some time to bake the bread ( Tseot or Lavaasa or Girdha ) and people have to wait for their turn. This waiting time is best utilised by people for gossip and discussions that are mostly political.   

You can find the gossip mongers waiting at the traditional Kandhur -Waan ( Kashmiri bakery )for their turn. One can see the Kandhur (traditional baker ) and his waiting buyers wiping tears from their eyes. Tears brought by smoke in the shop created by burning of timber in the baker’s furnace or Tandoor. Not only the smoke that keeps coming from the Tandoor of the baker, but you face some discrimination as well. Many times, I have heard impatient buyers complaining to the baker like this:-

“ You have given the bread to a person who came just now. I have been waiting for the last one hour . Have I to wait still ?”

 “I am late. I shall get a good beating at my place .”

“ When shall my turn come? I had kept the bag with you. You have not seen that .”

“ I think it is better to go for a sliced bread than wait over here under the smoke ”

“ You should have bought dry timber. You have just made us sick with this smoke. ”

 I have observed that apart from traditional Kandhur stuff or the indigenous bakery, Kashmiris now eat a lot of modern bakeries. They eat cakes, patties, biscuits, pastries and other modern bakery products. There used to be three or four good bakery shops in the city some two decades back and the same have now increased to more than 250 at the moment. I vividly remember only 'Ahdoo’s Bakery' serving to city’s elite. Then came 'Gee Enn Bakery' shop, followed by 'John Bakers', Dalgate, 'Mughal Darbar' and many more. Lately, we have one more bakery outlet chain known as 'Hat Trick' in Srinagar city. This unit has several outlets in the city. The bakery, Wazwaan, fast foods, Harissa, sweets, Tandoori and non-vegetarian snacks sold by this unit are certainly mouth-watering. I have visited this outlet at Rajbagh, Srinagar and the chicken Tikka, cakes and pineapple pastries sold over there is a class in itself. However, despite these modern bakery outlets, a large number of people still visit the traditional Kandhur or the indigenous bakery shop for purchase of Tseot, Tseoch Vorr/ Telvor, Lavaasa, Girdha , Kulcha every day. 

 Those amongst us who happily buy bagfuls of the modern bakery for functions and daily consumption need to keep their lipid profile and blood sugar level under close monitoring. Generally not so with those who continue with Kulcha, Tseot, Lavassa and Tcheivor/ Telvor.

                           

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And for buying Sheermaal, Pampore remains the ideal place. After saffron, Pampore was famous for Sheermaal. Sheeemal is a special sweet bread prepared with clarified butter in a Tandoor. Before 1990, there used to be a Sheermaal shop in Pampore town at Drangbal on the highway. It was known as ' Pracheen Kashmiri Hindu Bakery '. The Sheermaal sold by this shop was wonderful. People would come from far and wide to buy those Sheermaals. This shop was closed in 1990 due to the armed militancy. Presently there is a shop known as HMS or 'Hema Malini Sheermaal Shop ' in Pampore town. I visited the shop in the year 2012 and bought some Sheermaals. The proprietor proudly informed me that his Sheermaal has been tasted by Mrs Indira Gandhi . I was informed by  Mushtaq Ahmed, my guide and a local bank employee as under:-

 " Sir, his wife is now old. In her youth, she was very beautiful and people called her   Heema( Hema ) Malini.  That is how he named his shop. At this Heema ( Hema ) Malini shop, the owner uses Verka pure Desi Ghee and quality flour. Some more shops bake Sheermaals using animal fat. Not worth eating. And I tell you, Sir, many Pandits take Sheermaals from this shop to Jammu and other places where they reside presently. You remember the Kashmiri line of Lal-Ded 'Raaz hans rovukh kaavun manz' (a royal swan lost amongst crows ). That is happening to this 'Heema Malini Sheermaal'. 

 To conclude, let me complete the line that Mushtaq Ahmed said about ' Hema Malini Sheermaal' shop. The line comes from a Shrukh of Kashmir’s greatest saint Nund Reyosh ( Sheikh ul Alam ) as under

Aaravalan naagraada rovukh

Saada rovukh tschooran manz.

Mudagaran gwor pandith rovukh

Raaza honza rovukh kaavun m…

(The located lost amidst the boulders

Like a saint lost amongst the thieves.

The learned Pandit lost himself amongst the ignorant

Like the swan lost amidst crows all over.)

( Avtar Mota )

                                                     

                                                

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