Morning arrives slowly over Dal Lake. A skinny mist lifts from the water as wood shikara boats move by after the downpour. Along Boulevard Road, shutters rise one after the other, distributors sweep their shopfronts, and town eases gently into the day.
Inside a small lakeside bakery, trays of croissants emerge from the oven; golden and delicate, their buttery layers crackling gently as they cool. Rows of pains au chocolat, fruit tarts and glazed pastries line a glass counter. At first look, it might be anyplace in France. Yet that is Kashmir, a Himalayan valley typically related to beautiful surroundings and political complexities fairly than with layered dough.
However, Kashmir has an extended and wealthy culinary custom, notably on the subject of bread. Perhaps that’s the reason one thing as overseas as a croissant can, finally, discover its place right here.
Bread as an Everyday Ritual
Bread shapes each day life in Kashmir, though it’s distinctly completely different from the bakery custom of France. In the early hours, queues kind exterior neighborhood bakeries – recognized domestically as ‘‘kandur waans’‘ – conventional, typically wood-fired group ovens the place folks collect to seize bread sizzling from the tandoor. Conversations unfold as naturally as transactions; information is exchanged, and routines are reaffirmed. This tradition stretches again centuries.
Srinagar-based historian Sameer Hamdani, creator of City of Kashmir, traces the roots of Kashmir’s baking traditions again to not less than the 14th century, when tandoor-based bread-making grew to become widespread. By the nineteenth century, bakers have been firmly embedded within the social cloth of Srinagar, producing breads corresponding to girda and lavasa, that are nonetheless eaten for breakfast each day.
“Kashmir’s bread culture reflects a vibrant exchange, with urban consumption supported by rural craftsmanship,” says Mr Hamdani.
It is into this world, the place bread is each day, important, and deeply acquainted, that Saqib Mir returned in 2014 with an bold imaginative and prescient: to introduce the strategies and self-discipline of French patisserie to Srinagar.
Kashmir to France and Back
Fifteen kilometers from Boulevard Road in direction of Khonmoh, on the base of the Zabarwan Hills, away from the hustle and bustle of the lakeside, sits Le Délice’s primary kitchen. Upstairs, I met Saqib Mir, 43, in his workplace—a quiet area stacked with confectionery manuals and French pastry books.
Mir grew up in Srinagar, in a metropolis the place bread shapes on a regular basis reminiscence. “My grandfather used to pick us up from school,” he recollects. “I’ll ask him to stop at the bakery so we can buy cream rolls.” A small ritual, however one which stayed.
At the age of 19, Mir moved to France. Over the course of a decade, he skilled in classical patisserie, a culinary custom acknowledged by UNESCO as a part of France’s intangible cultural heritage. He earned a diploma and labored in an expert kitchen the place precision controls every thing: temperature, time and repetition, shaping every layer of dough.
“Pastry is like chemistry. Everything must be precise,” says Saqib Mir. During his years in France, he met his spouse Melanie, and collectively they shared their life and their goals of bringing French patisserie again to Kashmir.
Rebuilding Le Délice
In the center of Srinagar, alongside Boulevard Road, with the Zabarwan Hills within the background, lies the French bakery, Le Délice, which Mir opened in 2014. That identical yr, devastating floods, among the many worst the area had seen in a long time, swept via Srinagar. The water destroyed his gear, halting operations earlier than they may actually start.
In 2015, Mir started rebuilding, adapting French pastries to Kashmir, which was only the start, because it proved troublesome to supply high-quality butter. Frequent energy cuts affected manufacturing, and there was no skilled workforce accustomed to French strategies.
“Everything had to be reconfigured: recipes were recreated, processes were improved, staff were trained from scratch,” says Mir.
Even the style takes time. “People here were used to milk chocolate,” he provides. “The slightly bitter taste of dark chocolate was unfamiliar.” At first, there was hesitation, then curiosity and step by step acceptance.
More than a Bakery
Today, Le Délice has turn out to be one in every of Srinagar’s most distinctive culinary locations, with a number of shops throughout town, however past its pastries, it has turn out to be one thing greater than a coaching floor, a spot for ladies aspiring to make confections particularly. “It’s a core part of my mission,” says Mir.
Over the years, he has skilled greater than 350 younger Kashmiris in French baking strategies. Many have gone on to work in cafés or begin companies of their very own.
Among them is Suriya Akbar, 21, from north Kashmir, who joined the bakery after learning confectionery in Srinagar. “I have learned a lot here – different cakes, pastries, creams, everything,” she says. After two years, she is planning her subsequent step. “I want to start something of my own in my hometown.”
In a area the place alternatives are unsure, this bakery presents one thing tangible: a talent, a path, a chance.
Back on the kitchen flooring, Mir leads his crew as trays of truffles and pastries take form, demonstrating the approach himself, adjusting, refining and repeating, bringing the self-discipline discovered in France right into a distinctly Kashmiri setting.
Resilience in Every Oven
Running a enterprise in Kashmir requires flexibility. In 2019, the abrogation of Article 370, which ended the area’s semi-autonomous standing, led to extended shutdowns and a near-total communications blackout, disrupting each day life, says Mir. “Many times, I felt like giving up.”
At instances, he and his household returned to France briefly.
But the bakery endured. “What kept me going was the support of our people,” he says. “I would receive messages telling me when we would reopen.” Gradually, the shutters have been raised once more, the workers returned, and prospects started to comply with as soon as once more. Every morning, pink croissants within the oven.
A Bridge of Flour and Butter
The affect of European delicacies just isn’t fully new to Kashmir. During the Dogra interval (1846-1947). British officers and European vacationers launched parts of excessive tea tradition. Mughal gardens hosted huge gatherings with pastries and baked items unfamiliar to native traditions. By the early twentieth century, trendy bakeries started to appear in Kashmir, such because the Ahdoos and The Nedous Hotel, which developed its personal traditions and generally despatched workers overseas for coaching.
French pastries discovered a pure viewers in a spot the place bread and sweets have already got deep cultural significance. “There’s already such a rich bakery culture here,” says Hamdani. “Every household eats bread every day.”
As in France, the place neighborhood bakery shapes on a regular basis life, bakeries in Kashmir are ingrained in routine, freshness, and familiarity. Over the previous decade, Srinagar has seen a surge in cafe tradition, which is a part of a broader shift in lots of cities throughout South Asia, the place youthful generations embrace international flavors.
“It’s growing rapidly,” Mir says.
At Le Délice, prospects who have been as soon as reluctant now readily embrace croissants, éclairs and fruit tarts. In 2018, then-French Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler visited the bakery, a symbolic second of this silent trade however actual dialogue unfolding each day behind the counters and contained in the kitchen.
For common buyer Gulzar Ahmed, the shift is evident.
“It was the first place to offer such high-quality French croissants and pastries. There’s always something new to try.”
As night settles over Dal Lake, the bakery grows silent, trays empty, ovens chilly, the shikara stops. By morning, it would begin once more. A spot the place bread has lengthy formed each day life, one thing new has taken root — not as a overseas presence, however as a pure extension of an rising story.
From Paris to Srinagar, the journey continues – a quiet trade in butter, flour and time.
Srinagar Essentials
Getting There: Fly to Srinagar International Airport through Delhi or Mumbai; Boulevard Road is 30–40 minutes by taxi.
Where to remain: Dal Lake shores – houseboats or inns with scenic views.
Where to Eat: Le Délice for French pastries and native eating places for wazwan, a must-try
When to Go: Spring (Apr–Jun) or Autumn (Sep–Oct); winters are chilly.
Don’t Miss: Morning Shikara trip, the Mughal Gardens and a tour of the historic previous metropolis.
Kashmir Bread Guide
Girda: Soft, on a regular basis bread baked in a wood-fired clay oven, eaten with butter and jam, and served with midday chai (salted pink tea).
Lavasa: Thin, elastic flatbread served with tea or meals.
Telvor (Tschochwor): Ring-shaped sesame bread, crispy on the skin and mushy on the within, loved with midday chai.
Baqerkhani: A wealthy, flaky layered bread made with butter, reserved for weddings and particular events.
Kulsha: A dense, sesame-topped bread with an extended shelf life, usually ready for festivities and served with night tea.
About the Contributors
Ishtayaq Rasool is a contract journalist from the Dard-Shin tribe in Kashmir. His work explores the intersection of native traditions, meals, indigenous tradition, and international influences, with bylines in Songlines, The Great Outdoors, Travel + Leisure, Outlook Traveler, Eastside AsiaBBC, and The Wire. He was beforehand a visible producer at Hindustan TimesNew Delhi. Instagram: ishtayaqrasool
Aakash Gulzar is a documentary photographer primarily based in Kashmir and an alumnus of the VII Foundation. His work has been printed in VII Academy, Ian Parry Grant, Earth Partner, Der GreifPerimetro, Outlook Travelerand others. Instagram: aakashgulzar
Lead photograph credit score: Photo: Aakash Gulzar ©
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