Cafe-confectionaries are among the “sweet” heritage of every country. They are the predecessor of existing confectionaries, writes Firouzeh Mirrazavi in Iran review.
When the early cafes of Tehran gradually started presenting sweet items, they shifted to the new category of cafe-confectionary.
Most confectionaries in Tehran present various kinds of Iranian sweets, including baqlava, qottab, Yazdi cakes, walnut breads and other similar items.
After new Danish pastries and cakes with cream icing became common, the appearance of confectionaries started to change. Creamy pastry rapidly became one of the most popular sweets sold at cafe confectionaries. In the course of time, people also showed more interest in having various kinds of cakes for wedding or birthday celebrations.
Even now, examples of old cafes, restaurants, or cafe-confectionaries can be found in some old streets, where smell of coffee evokes memories of past.
Bahar Confectionary, Birthplace of
Paderazi Cookie and Sugar Bread
In 1938, Hajj Ali Akbar Bahar was a young man aged twenty-some-odd years. He decided to make his business more prosperous by taking advantage of the experience he had earned in various confectionaries.
So he bought a shop in Sarcheshmeh neighborhood and named it Bahar Confectionary. The oven, in which his traditional confectioneries were baked, was the equivalent of the modern day furnace fueled with firewood.
They made various confections which were best suited for the Iranian New Year holidays and relevant ceremonies. Paderazi ‘long-footed’ and sugar-bread were first introduced by Hajj Ali Akbar Bahar, before other confectionaries began offering similar products. Of course, the confections of Bahar Confectionary taste different.
Gholamreza Bahar and Hajj Hossein Bahar ran their family business using the method that their father used in order to keep his name alive. For years now, the confectionary has been producing and offering exotic confections and pastry.
In addition to traditional recipes, Bahar Confectionary has added cream as one of the major ingredients to its products. Bahar believes that cream was taken up as an ingredient by Iranian confectioners since the 1960s, adding, “It was probably the Russians who brought cream to the Iranian confectionaries; those who had migrated to Iran following Russia’s October Revolution in 1917.”
French Confectionary
French Confectionary was originally established in 1965. The cafe-confectionary is among the oldest and the most nostalgic cafes in Tehran, especially for the one-time youths of Tehran, students who studied at the University of Tehran.
It was originally established by the French, but when they returned home it was replaced by Iranian personnel who maintained the original methods introduced to them by the French founders.
The cafe-confectionary is situated along the bookstores of Enqelab Avenue, at the junction of Reyhan street. It is frequented by various customers: students, writers, artists, film-makers and movie stars. They usually come in groups to have a coffee chat. The place is generally considered as a good resort for cultural people.
People from ministries and foreign embassies are also among loyal customers of the confectionary.
During winter and fall, many take shelter in the cafe just to repeat the experience of its hot chocolate milk. Cafe-glace is recommended for summers.
One can also indulge in various pastries such as tarts, Napoleon, and cream-filled confections. But the French cafe-confectionary is much praised for its legendary cheese cakes. To be fair, one cannot deny the delicacy of the raisin cookies and bow tie pastries either.
Minion Chocolate and Confectionary
On Sa’di Avenue, close to where it meets Enqelab Avenue, on the corner of Hedayat street, there is an old confectionary shop which is called Minion.
Around the time the communist revolution spread throughout Ukraine, the original owners of Minion Confectionary, who were a Ukrainian family, fled their home and migrated to Iran. They continued their line of work in Tehran baking breads and cookies.
Roben, a descendent from the Ukrainian family, is currently running the shop which is now renamed ‘Latif’.
Lord Confectionary
Another old confectionary of Tehran is ‘Lord’ on Villa (present day Ostad Nejatollahi) street, a few meters south of Karim Khan blvd.
The confectionary has been there since 1965. It has its own loyal customers, drawn by pastries, unique piroshkies, and high quality Turkish coffee.
When ordering coffee, one can name or point to a pastry of choice to have something to munch with the coffee.
Many travel far for a taste of Lord or to pick up one of their tarts. The cafe-confectionary has also some delicious cream-filled pastries which are certainly worth a try.
Natalie Cafe-Confectionary
On Sohrevardi Street there is a confectionary proud for its dry and creamy confections which can meet everyone’s taste.
Natalie cafe-confectionary has been working since 1961. On its second floor, a coffee shop runs, serving coffee, tea, and pastries.
Blueberry pie is among the best products of Natalie confectionary. The blueberries are always fresh; even in mid-summer.
Once there, one should take time and have a good look at the delicious muffins, pies, doughnuts, and chocolate cakes.
Danish Confectionary
The inauguration of the first confectionary shop offering Danish pastry on Villa Street was a major event for pastry lovers.
The Danish Confectionary offers high quality Danish pastries. Sugar-coated Danish pastry is the special product of the shop. At 4 o’clock in the afternoon, people often line up to buy hot fresh Danish pastries just out of the oven.
Hans Confectionary
One does not expect to find one of the old important confectionaries of Tehran in a small alley. Hans confectionary is located in Aqili alley, Southern Aban street, Karim Khan blvd.
The place started to work in 1963 and has been there for more than 50 years. The shop offers very delicious butter pastries, and the admirers of the shop’s strawberry cakes are not few. The pastries are not as diverse as they are unique.
Hans cafe-confectionary takes cake orders. Since the orders are high in number, they should be placed a few days in advance.
Orient Confectionary
The Orient confectionary is among the oldest confectionaries in Tehran. It is located in Darvazeh-Dolat neighborhood at the beginning of Mofatteh street. Its dry and creamy pastries are much praised.
Nobel Confectionary
Nobel confectionary is located on Mirza-Shirazi street. It offers special confectionaries like in nowhere else, including Armenian confectionaries such as piruk and nazuk cookies.
Also the meat piroshkies of Nobel confectionary are praise worthy. They are always fresh and of a high quality.
