Bakarkhaniwalas (Bread-Makers)

Photography: Salman Saeed

Bakarkhani is a traditional food/snack of the people of Old Dhaka. It is a very popular snack among all Bangladeshis. There was a great demand for it in the Royal court of the Mughal Empire in Delhi. It came to Old Dhaka when a certain Chief Officer came to stay in Old Dhaka and brought with him a young boy who could make Bakarkhani.

In the past, the bakarkhaniwalas (bread-makers) used to lit up tandoor after midnight to bring out product by morning. Bakarkhani dough of white flour and mawa thoroughly mixed and kneaded for hours before stretching thin by hand over the entire span of wooden board. Then after spreading ghee over it, flour is strewn on. It was folded and process repeated several times. After sizeable numbers of such small dough are ready, they are made into roti on the board and sesame (teel) seeds are spread on it. The rotis are then put inside the tandoor.