Baking Your Way - Into The Valley

Baking is an art form perhaps unappreciated by most. From simple bread to sophisticated cakes, there is something for everyone when it comes to baked products.

- Sagun Shakya

Baking is an art form perhaps unappreciated by most. From simple bread to sophisticated cakes, there is something for everyone when it comes to baked products. Baking has been around for a long time now. It started out in ancient Egypt and since then the practice has continued and improved over time. Many nations in the olden times had their own variations of it. All these different variations over time turned into what we know as bread today.

In Nepal, the art of baking was started in 1948 when the late Krishna Bahadur Rajkarnikar opened the doors to Nepal’s first bakery, Krishna Pauroti (now Krishna Bakery), to cater to the elite members of society. Back then, bread was the only product and that too was a luxury only the rich could afford. Cakes and other baked goods would only make an impact a few years down the road.

Until the 60’s the number of bakeries in the capital were very minimal. An influx of tourists during the hippie era of Nepal saw the amount of bakeries in Kathmandu rise significantly. However, it wasn’t until the late 80’s that the baking business really took off. Western influence saw those few numbers increase by quite a bit. By then a few bakeries had gained popularity. Snowman Café in Freak Street was in the thick of it all. It started out as a tobacco store in the 1960’s and has since transformed into one of the best places you could get a slice of cake in the valley. People realized and saw the potential in this industry. Those fortunate few that foresaw the potential of baking quickly seized the opportunity and got into the business right away and since then the number of bakeries in the country have only been increasing. Such is the growing trend that almost every nook and cranny in the capital has at least one bakery to show for it.