Rita Farhat Mukand
There’s a famous phrase Kolkatans use for Nahoum: Nahoum is a bakery started and owned by Jews, with Muslim bakers, where Christians and Hindus line up in the thousands to relish Nahoum’s delicacies”
Rafat Akhtar, a poet who lives in Kolkata says, “More than a hundred years old, Nahoum Bakery Shop is still striving as one of the best cake sellers in Kolkata. Their variety of cakes at Christmas is a part of the culture of Kolkata. For me, the shop holds a special place in my heart because, during my childhood, my father and I used to visit Nahoum together almost every weekend. Now, as a mother, I often take my kids to the shop to relish their delicacies.”
Ela Bhatia’s eyes sparkle as she speaks about the place, "When we travel to Kolkata from Delhi and have to visit Nahoum because brownies are out of this world, simply the best!”
Social worker, Yasmin exclaims, “Nahoum is a heritage bakery situated in New Market, a heritage market as well...vintage!Nahoums delicious aroma fills the area where it is located and I relish the taste of each wonder as they are not overdone with creams etc., crafted with love and a personalized touch. I especially love their garlic bread and fudges, delicious!”
Their Christmas special fruit cake is the best as declared by Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, saying it is the best he's ever tasted! Foreigners especially from the West all visit Nahoum during Christmas.
Nahoum seated in Kolkata’s bustling New Market is an age-old delight that city-dwellers love to visit. The market, coveting a large area first opened in the year 1847 on Lindsay Street and continues to draw masses at all seasons of the year.
Nahoum’s story dates back to 1847 when Nahoum Israel Mordecai, a Jew from Baghdad, came to India in the 1850s and found his way to Calcutta, liked the city and settled in, and the transition was easier because it was the thriving capital of the British Raj.
With his love for baking and also looking for avenues of business ventures, he started his bakery as a bold step of faith, peddling baked goods and cheese from door to door along Lindsay Street. With his love for making cakes, Israel Nahoums finally opened a small shop in Kolkata's New Market around 1897.
For the next 60 years, he managed the confectionary with the help of his sons and daughters. Isaac's brothers, Norman and Solomon, eventually joined the family business; Norman was a metallurgist, Solomon specialized in electronics, and later, their brother David, an engineer, also became involved. Together, the brothers operated the shop for approximately 65 years.
Following David Nahoums' passing in 2013, Isaac, along with his sisters and nephew, assumed responsibility for the bakery. Entering the shop brings forth a sense of nostalgia, as it has preserved its authentic charm and recipes.
Offering a range of cakes, finger-licking brownies, fudges, jams, almond tarts, and their famous plum cakes and savoury delicacies, this Jewish bakery remains steadfast in maintaining its tradition and uniqueness.
The Jewish presence in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, India, traces back to the late 18th century when intrepid Baghdadi Jewish merchants, hailing from Aleppo and Baghdad, opted to settle permanently in the burgeoning capital of the British Raj. This founding community evolved into the focal point of the Judeo-Arabic-speaking Baghdadi Jewish trading network across Asia.
Throughout the early 19th century, the community experienced rapid expansion, primarily attracting Jewish migrants from Baghdad with a smaller influx from Aleppo. Historically, it was steered by a prosperous merchant class engaged in the trade of cotton, jute, spices, and opium, stemming from prominent Jewish lineages of Baghdad and Aleppo.
Today, with very few Jewish families left in the city, Nahoum’s is a historical landmark. During World War II, the city had about 5000 Baghdadi Jews, with synagogues, schools, and more. Today, all that has changed, but the love for Jewish sweets has not. Especially during Christmas, the bakery is thronged by city people, who love to celebrate the year-end like no other city in the country.
A mix of Middle Eastern and Jewish confectionaries make this place a treat for anyone who loves sweets. After all, Bengalis are notorious for their love of sweets.
Nahoum is the epicenter of Kolkata during Christmas. Delicious fruitcakes and other goodies, literally fly off its shelves. Whether it's their rich Christmas plum cake, delectable walnut cake or choco-chip brownies, rum balls, and lemon tarts, Honey Almond cakes or brownies, each piece is a work of art. Some new additions are chicken patties, fish rolls, chocolate pastries, and Madeira cakes. cookies and biscuits including vanilla fudge, Roman rings, and orange biscuits.
Norman Nahoums introduced these biscuits and cookies, while Solomon initiated the Black Forest pastries.
Nahoum's consistently beats all records every Christmas. People wait hours to buy their Christmas cakes. It’s no exaggeration to say that Christmas is incomplete without visiting the iconic Jewish bakery while people from everywhere flock to Nahoums with just a slice of baked delight.
Nahoum is a boy's name of Hebrew origin that means “comforter,” known as one of the 12 prophets in the Torah while rooted in a Jewish culture, and they took the bakery’s name from their family name.
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For 122 years now, Nahoum’s has been serving the city its delightful sweet treats from behind its old glistening teakwood counter which has never shown signs of creaking, and this tradition shows no signs of fading anytime soon. It is an important spot to visit if you are ever in Kolkata.
Rita Farhat Mukand is an independent writer.
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