The Pasta Lanes of Mumbai and the Irani Cafes

3rd Pasta Lane..kmz (752 B)

3rd Pasta Lane Italian Pasta Bakery now a w....kmz (746 B)



Three roads in south Bombay, in what is known as Colaba, are named after the Italian bread-pasta.



How come?



Because around the time of World War II some Italian prisoners of war, after end of WW II and their release from  detention, settled here and set up bakeries making pasta, savouries and cakes!!
For reasons not known now they left after a few years, but their legacy of creating Pasta and other bakery products in India lives on.  


Few people know the biscuits, cakes, and savouries available now at Bakeries in Mumbai and Pune, run by the newly arrived Zoroastrian Iranis (from 1900s), with quaint excotic names for these bakeries- Sassanian, Kyani, Bastani, Yazdi, Kermani, George, Britannia, etc. had the knowhow from these Italians, the art of making fresh bread and cakes.  

How interesting! Who would guess...? The thought of something like a "Sassanian Italian Bakery" makes me smile. Do they serve espresso, too? 

My dear Diane,

you are absolutely right .........the younger generation who now run these Irani cafes are more savvy and have introduced fast foods and all variety of coffeeand other beverages, beer included.