Irani cafés are

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

-style cafés in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. They were originally opened by

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

Irani immigrants to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

in the 19th century, fleeing

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

persecution or looking for better economic prospects. In India,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

boast a number of Irani cafés, which are very popular for ''Irani chai'' (tea). In the 1950s, there were 350 Irani cafés; today, only 25 remain.

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, was also home to many Irani cafés.

History

They were originally opened by

Irani immigrants to British India in the 19th century after they fled from Safavid persecution in

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. Writing for the ''Hindu Business Line'', on "Mumbai's Irani hotspots", Sarika Mehta stated, "The classic format of these cafes is basic with a subtle colonial touch; high ceilings with black, bent wooden chairs (now cane in some cafes), wooden tables with marble tops and glass jars that allow a peek into the goodies they hold. With huge glass mirrors on the walls to create a feeling of space, visitors are greeted with eagerness and a whiff of baking. The speed of operations is impressive and service quite hassle-free." Irani chai and osmania biscuits.jpg, Irani chai and Osmania biscuits served in

Britannia irani cafe.jpg, Britannia Café, an Irani café at

Ballard Estate The Ballard Estate business district is situated in the financial district of Fort. Located between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Fort in South Mumbai, it hosts the offices of shipping companies and the headquarters of the Mumbai Port ...

South Mumbai South Mumbai, colloquially SoBo from South Bombay in Anglo-Indian English, administratively the Mumbai City District, is the city centre and the southernmost precinct of Greater Bombay. It extends from Colaba to Mahim and Sion neighbour ...

Brabourne restaurant dhobi.jpg, Interior of Kayani and Company, an Irani café

Fare

Irani cafés may serve ''bun maska'' (bread and butter) or brun-maska (hard buttered croissants), and ''paani kam chai'' (a strong Iranian tea, 'tea with less water'), or ''khari chai'' (very strong tea), mutton

samosa A samosa () or singara is a fried Indian pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. Samo ...

s, and '' kheema pav'' (minced meat served in bread rolls),

akuri Akuri is a spicy scrambled egg dish eaten in Parsi cuisine of India. Akuri is cooked until almost runny; the eggs are never overcooked. The main flavouring is fried onions and the spices used are ginger, coriander, chopped chilis, and black p ...

(scrambled eggs and vegetables), berry pulao, vegetable puff, vegetarian/chicken

dhansak Dhansak is a popular Indian dish, originating among the Parsi Zoroastrian community. It combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine. Dhansak is made by cooking mutton or goat meat with a mixture of lentils and vegetables. This is served ...

(a spiced lentil dish with meat and vegetables) and

biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, and so ...

, cherry cream custard, cheese khari biscuits, plain khari biscuits, coconut jam and milk biscuits and Duke's raspberry drink. Many Irani cafés offer sweet and salted biscuits like ''rawa'' (

semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Etymo ...

), ''til-rawa'' coconut, ''

nankhatai Nankhatai ( bn, নানখাতাই, Hindustani: नानख़टाई (Devanagari) / (Urdu)) are shortbread biscuits originating from the Indian subcontinent, popular in Northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (formerly Burma ...

'' (sweet, crisp flaky Irani biscuits),

Madeira cake Madeira cake is a sponge or butter cake in traditional British and Irish cookery. Origin It is sometimes mistakenly thought to originate from the Madeira Islands; however, that is not the case as it was named after Madeira wine, a Portuguese wi ...

( tutti-frutti biscuits).

Cultural references

Nissim Ezekiel Nissim Ezekiel (16 December 1924 – 9 January 2004) was an Indian Jewish poet, actor, playwright, editor and art critic. He was a foundational figure in postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian Poetry in English. He ...

wrote a poem based on instruction boards found in his favourite Irani café: the defunct Bastani and Company in Dhobi Talao, Mumbai. In 2020 Neeraj Udhwani made the film '' Maska''.

Footnotes

External links

Irani Cafés and Bakeries: An Irani Zartoshti Tradition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irani cafe Indian drinks Coffeehouses and cafés in India Coffeehouses and cafés in Pakistan Culture of Mumbai Culture of Karachi Restaurants in Mumbai Bakery cafés Iranian diaspora in Pakistan Pakistani fusion cuisine

History

Fare

Cultural references

Footnotes

Further reading

External links