'South Asia’s oldest bakery' in Lahore still offers the same taste, say customers

By
Jawad Malik
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  • The 140-year old bakery is located in Lahore's historic Anarkali bazaar– where one can find several other historic sites
  • The shop was established on January 1, 1879
  • Famous personalities like Quaid-e-Azam loved the confectionary's finger biscuits 

LAHORE: Even after 140 years of its inception, a bakery in the provincial capital of Punjab is offering the same taste and quality to the delight of its loyal customers. 

Known as Mohkam-ud-din & Sons, the confectionary is popular for selling some of the daintiest cakes and biscuits in the city.

It located in Lahore's Anarkali bazaar, where one can find several other historic sites. 

It is said that renowned personalities like Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru were regular visitors to the bakery, and were big fans of its finger biscuits and cakes.

The shop was established on January 1, 1879. Over the years, the bakery has not only earned its name in every other household but it also enjoys immense historical value.

The confectionary garnered lots of praises at the time when people of the subcontinent were unfamiliar with the concept of cakes, biscuits, and other bakery items.

The owner of the bakery and the grandson of Mohkamuddin, Mohkam Naqvi claims that it is South-Asia's first-ever bakery.

He shared that the bakery's finger biscuits and cakes were liked by famous personalities like Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Feroz Khan Noon, Mumtaz Daultana, Nawab of Junagadh, Sir Henry Lawrence, and the renowned poet Allama Iqbal.

“Syed Mohkamuddin[our grandfather] introduced bakery items like biscuits, patties, pastries, and cakes in the sub-continent," he maintained.

Naqvi further said that the bakery still makes cakes for foreign dignitaries, ambassadors, and ministers. It also specialises in Christmas cakes.

"We have our own recipes that make them unique and delicious," he added.