How the irresistible charm of the humble Bangladeshi puff pastry overcame my grumpiness

The puff pastry is used in patties, pies, and croissants everywhere. Whatever the form, they remain warm, flaky, and delicious treats

I have never been one for breakfast. People often call it the most important meal of the day, but it has always struck me as a lacklustre affair, especially compared to the delights of lunch and dinner. It feels watered down, like comparing fresh 100% juice with infused water – they may be similar, but one is significantly less exciting.

During my school days, I would regularly skip breakfast. I thought of it as just another annoyance, but it was a lot more troublesome for everyone around me. This is because, unbeknownst to me, it left me intensely 'hangry'. My poor mother had to suffer through my crankiness every day. My father, ever the peacemaker, finally devised an ingenious solution. He introduced me to an after-school classic - the delectable chicken and mushroom pie from King's Confectionery in Dhanmondi. Wrapped in its characteristic warm, flaky, and golden puff pastry, it was a heavenly creation that magically lifted my spirits and satisfied my cravings.

My love of puff pastries extended to the evenings when a patties seller passed through our neighbourhood touting his resounding sales slogan of 'hot patties'. My parents never bought them for me because the seller used lard in their pastry. Thankfully, my downstairs neighbour was generous enough to get an extra patty whenever she grabbed a couple for her sons. Lard or not, the crisp, flaky crust was the star of the show.

As I grew older and burgers and chicken wings became easier to find, I ate fewer patties and pies. But the buttery smell of puff pastry still regularly wafted through our house because my mother had finally discovered her favourite breakfast food – the croissant. But not only was the name fancy, it had a price point to match, costing at least four times as much as the neighbourhood hawker's hot patties.

Funnily enough, it took until I went to England for my higher studies to reconnect with my old patty and pie friends. Living in the north of England, it was almost impossible to escape its most popular food chain - Greggs - which focused solely on baked puff-pastry-based items. Their signature item is the sausage roll (they sell over half a million in the UK each year). But what stole my heart was their festive bake, a seasonal delight available around Christmas. With its creamy chicken and leek filling, it had the warm familiarity of the King's chicken pie but added the delightful twist of fruity cranberry jam.

Now that I'm back home, I have been frequenting King's again after a decade-long break. As I savour its puffy wonders, I'm amazed at the ingenious ways we've modified and embraced the puff pastry in our culture. The temperamental nature of the puff pastry dough humbles even Michelin-star chefs. And yet, street food vendors in a humid country like ours have mastered it to the point where they can sell it for merely Tk 20 a piece as an evening snack.

I can't help but chuckle at the evolution of my relationship with these flaky delights. As I've discovered over the years, whether I'm munching on a quick street snack or splurging on a fancy croissant, puff pastries make me happy.

So, here is a salute to all the golden, flaky treasures that have worked their magic in making me a slightly easier person to be around.

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.