HYDERABAD : Tea is the indisputable emperor of Irani cafes. Besides a regular diet of biryani, milky sweet tea is another concoction that sees most Hyderabadis through the trials and tribulations life has to offer.
In these cafes, which serve as sanctuaries to rejuvenate oneself or connect to other fans of the beverage, you might find people of great strength of character who like to enjoy a cup without any accompaniments. However, most cannot resist the aroma of the freshly-baked biscuits that sit fresh and warm in the glass display cases.Osmania, Khara, Fine, Chand, coconut or fruit — there are many to choose from. After a swift dip in the tea, the biscuits disintegrate into a delicious mess in the mouth, injecting some magic into a humdrum existence.
When we asked the famous bakeries in the city about their best-selling product, the answer was unanimous Osmania biscuits. Stating that Osmania biscuits sell the most, Syed Irfan, owner of Subhan Bakery, said: “We sell 24 varieties of biscuits that include fruit, kaju, almond and others. We are sixth generation bakers and our family has been living in Hyderabad for around 200 years now.
Our bakery in Nampally was inaugurated in 1948. Before the pandemic, we were selling almost 2 lakh biscuits per day, out of which 1.5 lakh were Osmania biscuits." Subhan Bakery is also famous for another offering Dum ka Roat. These large, chewy biscuits, made from semolina, plain flour, ghee and dry fruits are prepared during Muharram.
“These are offered to the Alam ( symbolic objects used at mourning rituals) and then distributed among the gatherings. We take pride in the technical know-how to bake biscuits which has been passed to us through the generations. It is the secret behind the lingering appeal of our products,” added Irfan. Shashank Anumula, managing director of the iconic Niloufer Cafe, says: “We sell 10 varieties of biscuits and the Osmania variety is the most popular one.
High-quality raw materials and consistency make us the best. Our founder, Aumula Babu Rao, started his journey as a sweeper at Cafe Niloufer. He was then promoted as a waiter and he soon moved into the kitchen where he started preparing the cafe’s special Irani tea and biscuits. After that, he took charge of the establishment on a contract basis and became the owner later.”
Osmania biscuits rule the roost at Nimrah Cafe too, which has been serving the delectable combo of Irani chai and freshly-baked biscuits to visitors in Charminar area since 1993. The owner of the cafe, Saleem, says that they bake 40 varieties of biscuits that includes Chand biscuits, coconut, chocolate, oats biscuits and others. However, with the pandemic and a sharp dip in the number of tourists, the cafe is managing to make only 35 per cent of the sales it used to have before 2020.
When asked about the secret ingredient which makes their biscuits one of the top favourites in the city, Saleem says: “It is the love of our customers that makes us put our best into our products. It is no wonder that anyone who walks into our cafe is able to taste the same.” The only place where Osmania biscuits take a back seat is Karachi Bakery, which put Hyderabadi biscuits on the global culinary map. Speaking to Express, an executive from the bakery, said: “Our best-selling biscuits are fruit biscuits, which our customers lovingly call tutti-frutti biscuits.
The bakery was founded by Khanchand Ramnani, a Sindhi migrant who left Karachi for Hyderabad in 1947 during the partition of India. In 1953, Ramnani opened the first Karachi Bakery of Hyderabad in Moazzam Jahi Market. We have 23 stores in Hyderabad now. The USP of our biscuits is that they are handmade in hygienic conditions.”
Haseeb Jafferi, a descendant of Salabath Jung from the Nizam family and a heritage expert, told us about a variety of biscuit that’s on the verge of extinction. “The Butter biscuit, which has two varieties Butter and Bodum are hardly found in the city now. The smaller, palm-sized one, called Butter biscuit, is a puffed-up pastry. The larger one, Bodum, is nothing but a hard bun, which is mostly served stale. It is found only in Sarvi Cafe at their branches on First Lancer Road and Banjara Hills.”
Osmania biscuit - the origin
There are many theories about the origin of Osmania biscuits. It's difficult to verify the authenticity of each one. However, I think the most plausible theory is the one which says that the biscuits originated at Osmania Bakery located inside Osmania General Hospital. It is said that during a time when the hospital was full and the inmates were weak, the authorities decided to make a snack for them which would be 'slightly salty and slightly sweet' to bring back the appetite of the convalescents. The bakers did their thing, and Osmania biscuits were born. The story goes that the taste and aroma of the biscuits started attracting visitors from outside, too. Later on, the recipe was replicated by commercial bakers and the biscuits continue to rule people's hearts even today.One of the first bakeries to replicate the biscuits from Osmania General Hospital was Rose Company located at Chaderghat.
— Haseeb Jafferi, heritage expert
Did you know?
Our former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru loved to have brown bread as part of his breakfast spread. When he visited Hyderabad in 1953, no bakery in the city knew how to bake it. It was then that Syed Khader of Subhan Bakery was asked to rise up to the occasion, and the veteran baker made sure that the Prime Minister did not go without slices of his favourite bread
Osmania biscuits - Recipe
Ingredients
200 gm refined flour | 20 gm milk powder | 140 gm salted butter | 80 gm castor sugar | 1/4 tsp cardamom powder1 tsp baking powder | 1/4 cup milkSea salt to sprinkle
Method
● 1. Sift refined flour, milk powder and baking powder together three times and keep aside.
● Mix butter, sugar and cardamom powder together till sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and light.
● Add the sifted flour mix in three parts, while mixing it lightly. Make sure you don’t mix vigorously.
● Add milk at the end and form a nice smooth ball. Keep it in the fridge for 10 minutes.
● Roll out the dough on a working top. It must be 1/4 inch thick. Cut rounds with a cutter and sprinkle sea salt.
● Bake in a preheated oven at 180*c for 15 mins till golden brown.
● Serve warm with tea.
— Chef Amey Marathe, vice president, Telangana Chefs Association