| geveN |
| (Cartographer) |
| 11/20/07 11:48 PM |
| View in Google Earth |
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The Pasta Lanes of Bombay!!!
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Three roads in south Bombay are named after the Italian bread-pasta.
How come?
Because around the time of World War II some Italian prisoners of war, after release, settled here and began bakeries here making pasta, savouries and cakes!!
Few people know the biscuits cakes and savouries- available now at Iranian Bakeries in Mumbai, the newly arrived Zoroastrian Iranis with quaint excotic names for their bakeries- Sassanian, Kyani, Bastani, Yazdi, Kermani, George etc etc took over the knowhow from the Italians- are of Italian origin.
look at this(!!!):
http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/index_search.asp?strfirstsearchcrietia=&strsecondsearchcrietia=sleeping
geveN
| diane9247 |
| (Humanitarian) |
| 12/18/07 11:20 AM |
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Re: The Pasta Lanes of Bombay!!!
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geveN -
That's a fascinating little piece of food history - love it!
By the way, you have to register as a TimeOut user to read the article - but it's worth the extra few seconds.
| geveN |
| (Cartographer) |
| 12/23/07 11:03 AM |
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Re: The Pasta Lanes of Bombay!!!
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Hi Diane,
Sorry, I am not adding the '9247' ........it seems so unchivalrous after such a lovely name.
I have lived in the Pasta Lanes 'precinct' from 1946 to 1972 and believe me everybody, absolutely everybody, took the name Pasta for granted, never questioning where the word came from. Now, here in NZ we eat lots of pasta so I began to figure out where that name 'Pasta' got fixed to a place in Bombay/Mumbai............and after a bit of researching, to my own surprise, I found what I have written.
In Mumbai, and throughtout India, there has been now for the past 30 years or so, a frenzied craze to change street names from any which are western based to Indian names..........Bombay to Mumbai, Queen's Road to Mahatma Gandhi Road, Flora Fountain to Hutatma( Freedom) Chowk(Place), Madras to Chennai, Culcutta to Kolkatta. As far as I know somehow the Pasta Lanes have not been touched yet!!!
Besides,all the major cities in India have, very obviously, very old buildings and structures, and these include a large number of these built in the time the British ruled over India. Atleast here no changes are possible, thank God, because India has a very effective Heritage Board and all old buildings/structures are listed and protected!!
And, talking of food, you can literally spend a lifetime on the many cuisines of India- Kashmiri, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujrati, Maharastrian, Goan, Indian-Chinese(!!!) and so on and on with a huge range of spicy delicacies and sweetmeats(Indian word for confectionery).of course the now famous curry , known all over the world, comes in a huge variety, the goan curry very very different from a South Indian variety.
Im am not any way an expert in this field but I do miss spicy Indian foods here in NZ!!!
Merry Christmas!!!
geveN