From Badayun to Mardan

PESHAWAR: Mardan is far away from Badayun, India but its Badayuni Pheray have gained fame as popular sweets.

The shopkeepers who have been making this unique type of sweets for the last 66 years said they use a special recipe.

The Badayuni Pheray are popular in Pakistan and abroad due to delicious taste. Its manufacturers claim that nobody in the country could make such sweets.

Other shopkeepers also use the same formula and items but the taste cannot match Badayuni Pheray.

Mardan residents present it to their friends throughout the country and abroad. Once they present this delicacy to someone, they are asked for it in their coming visits too.

Badayun is a district in Uttar Pradesh state of India. Those making Badayuni Pheray are Pakhtuns who migrated from Badayun at the time of partition and settled in Mardan.

The 76-year old Mehmud Ali Khan recalled that his brother late Ibne Ali Khan migrated to Mardan in 1947 and started preparing the Badayuni Pheras.

Accompanied by his grandsons in his old shop on Bank Road in Mardan, Mehmud Ali said they were seven brothers including Ibne Ali Khan, Mahbud Ali Khan, Mehfuz Ali Khan, Prof Maqsood Ali Khan, Mohammad Ali Khan, Mohammad Wali Khan and Mahfuz. They have the same business in Dera Ismail Khan but he and his brother Mahbud Ali Khan started their business in Mardan.

Mahmud Ali Khan said he shifted to this shop about 22 years ago as he was doing business earlier in his old shop for 38 years in front of the Jamia Masjid.

“We learnt its formula from an expert, who has been doing the business for the last 186 years in Badayun,” he said. He said they have the blessings of their “Faqir”, a spiritual personality.

The popularity of Badayuni Pheras could be judged from the fact that some of their workers opened shops on the same road and everyone uses the name of “Badayuni” on their stalls to attract the customers.

He said that they later challenged them in the court of law against the use of their trademark. The elderly Mahbub Ali Khan said they sold 70 to 80 kilos daily and attracted customers from every nook and corner of the country.

Qadeer Ahmad, who has worked with Mahbub Ali Khan for 15 years, opened his shop on the same Bank Road one and a half years ago. He said he used the same items, “khoya” and sugar, and prepared the same Pheras. He said he has written “Qadeemi Badayuni Pheras” on his shop, saying he was not doing any illegal business.

Qadeer has introduced white pheras-like Burfi. He said he sells 30 to 40 kilograms of the commodity daily and was hopeful of boosting his business further in future.

He said all sweets outlets on Bank Road use the same “khoya”, milk and sugar transported from Jhang area in Punjab province. He said Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and other dignitaries appreciated Badayuni Pheras when he was offered these during his visit to Mardan.

He said the Badayuni Pheray were being taken to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, England, US, and European countries.

To avoid legal glitches, different shopkeepers have now changed their names. One can now find Badayuni Pheray House, Badayuni Pheray Point, Al-Badayun Pheray Sweets, Badayuni Pherays Sweets, Al-Badayuni Pheray and Sweets and Tareekhi Pheray Palace.

In their separate chat with The News, the owners asked the government to allow them to raise the rate of their Badayuni Pheray and help end the legal complications hindering their business.The price of Badayuni Pheray is affordable at Rs330 per kilogram.