India is the second largest producer of tea in the world, with the first records of tea consumption dating back thousands of years. Through ancient times this habit has been a part of our culture and in the present day, we all enjoy drinking a cup of tea along with savoury snacks in the evening. These snacks can range from the filling samosa to the sweet and spicy bhakarwadi. Today, let us take a look at the snack that has become the perfect tea-time snack. Let’s deep dive into the rich origin story of khari.

The origin of the puff pastry

Khari biscuit, or the puff pastry as it is known in English, has multiple origin stories. The most well-known tale features Claudius Gele, a French pastry cook’s apprentice. It seems that Claudius wished to feed his father who was severely ill and ordered by the doctor to consume nothing more than water, flour and butter. With those three ingredients, Claudius went about working, preparing the dough, slathering butter, folding the dough on top of itself, adding butter and repeating the process. The pastry-cook watching his young apprentice advised Claudius against putting this dough in the oven as the butter would run out from the center. Nevertheless, Claudius persisted and placed the dough in the oven. Both the young apprentice and the seasoned chef marveled at what had been created. Many years later, when Claudius left his teacher to begin his pastry shop, he sold puff pastries along with others and became a wealthy and renowned baker in his own right.

How it came to India

While the story of Claudius Gele and the puff pastry might be under debate by experts, most sources agree on how the khari biscuit was first brought to India. The khari biscuit was a part of the cuisine of the Irani Zoroastrian population. Fearing Islamic persecution in Iran, the people came to India and eventually began the well known Irani cafes. From pattice to bun maska, Irani cafes have given us all favourite snacks to enjoy along with our tea.

Famous variations of khari

Due to its simplistic nature, the khari biscuit has many variations. Some of the most popular ones are:

• Methi khari
• Whole wheat khari
• Jeera Khari
• Masala khari
• Maska khari
• Ajwain Khari
• Cheese khari

Moving beyond its rich history, this savoury and healthy snack is also a delicious tea time treat. If all this talk about khari is making you crave some right now then order a box from DIP Foods and sit back and relax as you enjoy your mid-evening bite with this historic snack.