For the past 126 years, a bakery outlet in Srinagar has been famous for selling its quality walnut fudge across Kashmir and now the outlet is being run by the third generation of the family.
Moonis Mehraj, who runs two outlets of ‘Moonlight – the walnut fudge shop’ in Srinagar says “since 1896, my family is famous for making delicious walnut fudges in Kashmir and i want to continue this legacy to the next generation.”
Walnut fudge is a mixture of walnut, honey, and dates, and its fi rst recipe product was prepared by Moonis’s grandfather Ghulam Mohammed in 1896, since then it became the taste symbol of the family.
“My grandfather opened the first outlet ‘Moonlight’ in 1896 in Dalgate adjacent to the famous Dal Lake and remained there till the 1990s,” Moonis told Rising Kashmir.
After its popularity, the second outlet came near Nigeen Lake to attract more foreign tourists.
“At that time most of our clientele were foreigners and they used to buy walnut fudge from our outlets and take it to other parts of the country as well. Our bakery outlet was one of the main attraction in Kashmir,” he said.
Moonis said that during the 1990s turmoil in Kashmir, his bakery outlet was closed in Dalgate and then his family shifted it to Hazratbal and later on another outlet was opened at Parray Pora, Hyderpora.
“Our customers remained always with us.Even during our hard times, they stayed with us. It is the close association that keeps us moving,” he said.
Moonis says presently they are making two products Walnut Fudge and Ginger Biscuits.
To keep its quality, the family has never compromised. “We have continued to earn special trust among our clients for decades and hope that it will continue in the future,” he said.
For the preparation of walnut fudge which is the crown of the bakery shop, the family owns a secret recipe to make this delicious product.
“We have not revealed the making of this product outside the family. Our family owns and wants to retain its exclusive making process till we can,” he said.
In the preparation part, Moonis and his father prepare the walnut fudge in their factory, and then it is transported to their twin outlets.
Moonis have also employed four employees, who work in the two outlets but the preparation part is mainly seen by the family alone.
The 37-year-old Moonis says many big outlets, and hotels approached them for collaboration but they never agreed to collaborate due to the fear of compromise on its quality.
He says although the production of walnut fudge is low but to maintain its quality is the priority of the family.
“Even today, the product has good demand in the market but we attend only limited orders to keep it going,” he said.
