Sheermal is a mildly sweet flatbread from Iran with its name is derived from the Persian word Sheer meaning milk and
typically baked in a tandoor oven.
I tasted and purchased Sheermal last month from the famous Chawdi Bazaar Market behind Jama Masjid. This is a huge market selling goods ranging from jewelry and kebabs to carpets and ice creams and everything in between that one can imagine. During the Mughal rule, the market also had trading sections for Bacha Bazi.
The Sheermal I purchased from Haji Imran’s shop resembles Danish pastry and they had an entire range of toppings from various dry fruit combinations like almonds, cashews, KhasKhas poppy seeds, sesame, and in various combinations as seen above.
Sheermal is served with kababs during nihari breakfast and variations of this food item are also popular in places like Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Aurangabad, etc.
The Haji Imram shop that I visited was a narrow outlet with limited seating since people mostly take away Sheermal to enjoy with family and friends and a staircase to the upper floor can be seen in the far. Also, the blue-color LPG gas cylinders mean that are meant for commercial use. In India, the LPG cylinders for domestic use are colored red.
How to Reach
• Autorickshaws or shared Tuk-Tuks will take you to the Jama Masjid from outside the Red Fort for INR 10.
• There is a huge paid parking space outside Jama Masjid where I parked my car and walked via the Meena Bazar past the Jama Masjid to reach the shop that was behind the mosque.
Accessibility Features
The Haji Imran shop is located in a busy market that is not accessible for cars but has a leveled road that leads to the shop so using a wheelchair is a possibility.
Here’s a snapshot:
Ramp access. A wheelchair-accessible Entrance. A wheelchair-accessible Restroom/Toilet. A wheelchair-accessible Parking.
These days in Iran we eat Sheermal as a sweet bread, so it is good for breakfast or afternoon snack. Also the city Semnan has the most famous traditional Sheermal.
In fact the base is the same but there are many kinds of Sheermal and there could be some differences, but at least that simple bread I see in the top right of the first photo, is very similar to the Sheermal breads I’m familiar with. Also some bakeries bake such breads with seeds on them. So this time I eat Sheermal, I know that my friends in India have same experience.
Thanks for sharing this post with us. The shop is very inviting and clean,I like it. More than the shop, the snack Sheermal itself looks very appetizing. It reminds me of certain snack here is west Africa made out of peanuts and sugar. It’s so sweet and nice that once you start, you hardly can stop
We have also many Sheermal Shops here in Karachi, and mostly people are from Dehli, who migrated at partition time. And because of Competition they normally sell plain Sheermal in Rs. 50 PKR, around 25 INR. One of the famous Sheermal shop of Karachi is Haji Mehfooz Sheermal, located near my work and home area. We normally use Sheermal with Qorma, Nihari and Barbeque like Kababs or Chicken Tikka. And it’s a must food item for wedding and Valima dinners here.
Accessibility Features
Ramp access.
