A 120-Year Old Jewish Bakery: Nahoum & Sons

Whisking freshly baked treats each day, Nahoum & Sons has always been the answer to Kolkata’s sweet cravings. But behind its counters, a family story provides an illuminating glimpse into the city’s colonial days.

Nahoum & Sons ( Source: Homegrown)

Every morning, Nahoum & Sons display their baked delights on old teak-finish counters. Currency notes are tucked away in a 106-year-old wooden cash box. Even their tables have stuck around since 1902, the year in which Israel Nahoum, a Jewish immigrant, first opened the iconic bakery.

Like many Jewish families, Israel Nahoum left the Middle East to start a new life under the Raj. During this time, many Baghdadi Jews settled in Kolkata, the then capital of British India. Here, Nahoum started a door-to-door trade in baked goods which soon charmed colonial rulers and the crème de la crème of society. A few years later — 1916 to be exact — this business was relocated to a new address in Kolkata’s New Market, where it operates even today.

Wedged into this colourful street, it’s hard to distinguish the shop’s rich legacy at first glance. But a storefront sign, which first catches the eye here, signals a bygone era. Upon entering, it becomes apparent that the flooring, ceilings, and even the bakery’s displays have remained unchanged since its early days. As years came to pass, the store’s operations changed hands between Nahoum’s sons and grandsons, who continued to whisk out macaroons, tarts, fudge, chocolates, and pastry cakes for an ever-changing clientele.

While some treats are new today, Nahoum’s long-standing Fruit Cake, which boasts a three-week-long winter shelf life, has outlasted almost every change to the bakery’s menu. It’s even rumoured that the Archbishop of Canterbury once heralded this baked slice as the best he had ever had. Even today, preparing this famed cake remains a closely guarded trade secret. Another showstopper is Nahoum’s brownie, which was introduced slightly later in 1982, but is still closely tied to the shop’s past and believed to come from an old recipe. Other savoury-based snacks like cheese samosas and patties were also added to the menu for its new customer base.

The real test for the bakers who work here is during the days leading up to India’s Republic Day celebrations. For years, Nahoum & Sons have supplied bulk orders to Raj Bhavan. In doing so, they have maintained a strict schedule to meet specific delivery times for the country’s highly-awaited event. A second rush comes during the winter season, when a flock of customers line up near the storefront, eagerly awaiting to purchase festive treats from Nahoum’s for the upcoming Christmas days. Although the COVID-19 pandemic dwindled the usual crowd in recent times, the bakery continues to feel optimistic about the future.

As a family-run establishment, retaining employees is a matter the Jewish bakery takes pride in. This respect for traditional values, along with quality, is perhaps, as Nahoum’s grandson says, the heart of their trade:

“Our ingredients, the butter, the nuts and whatever else goes into our products, are all top quality. That’s why we’re so famous. [...] We’re good because we’re old. And we’re old because we’re good.”

Kolkata, more than anything, is a city of nostalgia. Today, few members of the Baghdadi Jewish community remain in the city. But with Nahoum & Sons, and their array of baked delights, this centuries-old chapter continues to live on.