Ten-second Takeaway
A much-loved Mumbai favourite, Parsi Dairy Farm has been proudly standing on Princess Street in Marine Lines since 1916, which makes it a century-old establishment here.
Article by Bhavika Govil, lbb.in
What Do We Have Here?
Parsi Dairy Farm began its journey selling milk, and the best milk around at that, out of the same institution that still stands here today.
Those who consume only gourmet tea, coffee and dessert may turn up their nose here, but anyone who has also enjoyed slurping a fresh glass of cold frothy milk before being pushed off to school, and digging their spoon into a kulfi dribbling down their elbow, would know that few other joys come close to this.
Apart from the full-fat and cow’s milk which is the foundation of Parsi Dairy, they sell mawa sweets, seven-eight flavours of creamy kulfi {served as small round slabs}, fresh curd only sold in earthen matkas – low-fat, full-fat and more, cottage cheese, paneer, ghee, milk drops {delicious toffees}, a whole range of Bengali sweets such as gulab jamun and rasmalai, sutarfeni, and a bunch of Parsi favourites like the fish-shaped mawa so happily eaten at the Parsi New Year – among more, believe you us.
Adding no preservatives, milk powders or emulsifiers, their products have a shorter shelf life than others, but a quality that’s maintained. Speaking to one of the family who run the place, we hear stories of how while growing up this was a place to come and play, and sneak in a bite or two of malai khaja, although now it’s a place of work. Families grown up here come and comment on how the counters may have been changed from silver to white, and how the options have grown longer and wider, but the flavours have remained true to what they were.
What Else?
It may be a hundred years old, but it has kept up with the times. If you aren’t living in SoBo but still crave for some good old Parsi ghee, you can order some of their more long-lasting products off Zomato, Scootsy or Swiggy. If you just need to have some of their kesar pista kulfi, you can order some at SodaBottleOpenerWala or The Taj.
In the months to come, they’re hoping to keep adding more to their already-large list, such as a blueberry-flavoured yoghurt and perhaps a few types of cheese {we know we are looking forward to that}. In the meanwhile however, please excuse us while we guzzle down a mug of chhaas, and what’s that? We should wipe away the milk moustache? Only after the next two.
Photos: Athul Prasad/LBB