India’s Quintessential ‘Brun Pav’
A delightful journey of the history of the Iranian bread on every Indian’s plate.
I was born in the early 70’s and India at that time was greatly influenced by the Hippie culture and the Beatles. Somehow the old-world charm continues to fascinate me, and I am forever in awe of all that I have lived through and enjoyed in my life. When it comes to breads, I have always been fascinated both by the traditional and the rustic. Indian homes, even to this day are incomplete without a little bit of Iranian history on their plates either for breakfast, lunch or dinner and here I am referring to the ‘brun pav’. Pav is a Portuguese word for bread, so categorically Brun Bread or Pav is a crusty round-shaped bread with a soft, spongy centre. They were baked by Iranians, in their bakeries, and a tradition they brought to India after fleeing their country.
How the Brun Pav recipe travelled to India?
The Iranians were master bakers, who hailed from the port stations of Uzbekistan and Samarkand, and also the colonial rulers in India taught us the art of fermenting, the process of bread making with toddy. Faced with harsh religious persecution the Iranians, travelled to India for shelter and refuge bringing with them their culture, tradition, food, arts and crafts and many more which later effortlessly wove itself into the cultural fabric of India, and so did the recipe for the brun pav, which they introduced and thrived during the 50’s right until now. I have personally observed that Indian bakeries, no longer bake the brun pav and the ones that do are few and far between. Over the years the taste and the crustiness of the brun pav have not undergone much change but what has changed is the mind-sets of the people who once relished this bakery delight. People now prefer pizzas, fancy breads or croissants on their plates. The admirers of this once-relished bread are practically obsolete and this is a sad reality.
A Dying Legacy
Sadly, not many Iranian bakeries are left but a few which are in existence are soldiering the burden and carrying this tradition forward. People living in the commercial capital of India, Mumbai and its neighbour Pune, where I reside are familiar with this delightful bread. Every Indian, living in this part of the country will vouch for the authentic taste of the humble ‘brun pav’ which deeply satiates the hunger of the rich and famous and also the poorest of the poor. This bread has seen the ravages of time and history, but every bite of the amazing hard bread, hard outside but soft and delicious inside has only elevated its taste to another level.
My Tryst with the Brun Pav
I was introduced to the crusty delights of the brun pav when I was a five-year-old girl. A piece of this bread smeared with a thick layer of butter, paired with an omelette to enhance its taste, made our Sunday morning breakfasts memorable and enjoyable. I enjoy the brun pav even to this day and never fail to treat myself now and then, whenever I get a chance to hop across to the nearest bakery.
Whenever the women folk in my household were tired of cooking an entire meal for a Sunday night, a meat or chicken curry dish would be prepared and readied in the afternoon. My father would go across to the Irani bakery near our house and purchase large quantities of the brun pav. We would then gather on our large verandah and enjoy a simple meal, of pieces of brun pav dipped in piping hot curry and slurp! You can imagine the taste as you read this.
Iranians and Parsis are well-known for their authentic cuisine and the sad reality is that the brun pav has always been side-lined. Their lip-smacking delicacies like Biryanis, kebabs, mutton curries and fish steamed in banana leaf popularly known as ‘patra nu maachi’ are relished at every festival or a family function but the poor brun pav is given a step daughterly treatment. Why? I have always asked myself.
The brun pav has the power to stir the taste buds of even the most hardcore vegetarian, accompanied by a piping hot lentil curry popularly known as ‘daal’ or a vegetable stir-fried in Indian masalas (spices). Wow, What a Eureka moment! Simply delicious, sumptuous and tasty.
My relationship with the brun pav has been deep and emotional. I will hopefully continue to relish this bakery product as long as I live.
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