In a country where chai-biskoot has transcended the centre tables in living rooms to find a place in people's hearts — so much so that a few years ago, recently married Ranveer Singh sang to his leading lady in a Bollywood film, "Chai mein dooba biskoot ho gaya" to convey how he melts at the sight of her — on World Cookie Day, one doesn't need to look to the West when it comes to this confection. Mumbai is a city replete with bakeries, and history explains why.'

"Baking as a business was introduced by Portuguese and English imperialists who came into the country. Initially, Indians began with bread.Then gradually, cookies, biscuits, cakes and pastries got added to the list. Also, in the first few years, they were catering to the English and Dutch communities only," says food historian Mohsina Mukkadam, adding why Christian-and-Parsi-dominant pockets of the city have more bakeries. "Hindus had rules when it came to food and they stayed away. This wasn't the case with Christians and Parsis. So, you won't find too many bakeries say around Girgaum, but you will around Dhobi Talao. Muslims took to the baked goods, too, because they were already using the tandoor. Most bakeries in the city have been around since the 19th and 20th centuries," she explains.