Guilty pleasures of Alauddin Sweetmeat

To get lost in the taste of creamy and salty mawa, one has to devour Alauddin Sweetmeat's 'shar malai'. Like all good things, Alauddin Sweetmeat does not need any introduction. If you have a sweet tooth, this sweetmeat store should already be in your checklist.

Maintaining fame since 1864, they ensure good quality and taste – a rarity now. Bearing a tag to be the 'oldest' sweet shop in Dhaka, it has expanded in London and America as well. With eight branches at throughout old Dhaka, the Chawkbazar branch is the oldest and most renowned one.

After the liberation war, they used cartoons by eminent cartoonists Ranabi, Rafiqun Nabi – which brought them a huge success as a marketing technique.

Maruf Ahmed, proprietor of Alauddin Sweetmeat, says, "Maintaining quality is more important for us than earning money. We strictly prohibit adulteration and using of preservatives." Indeed, they prepare a minimum of 15 maunds of sweet every day, which is sold before the day ends.

So what do they have to offer? The offering is huge. Take your pick from rani bhog, malai bhog, chamcham, raj bhog lal mohon, kalo jam, barfi, halwa, chana, mawa laddu, jafrani laddu, motichur laddu, and many more. 

You will not regret randomly choosing one, because all of them melt in the mouth. You'd rather regret leaving one out.

To make your decision easier, there are assorted sweets in different boxes. Jamdani box, Special box, and Variety box are the best sellers among them. All of them are within Tk240 to Tk500.

Shar malai, irani bhog, and malai bhog are their brand leaders. Their price starts from Tk500 to Tk650 per kilogram.

Alauddin Sweetmeat has made a claim that they introduced Laccha Shemai 50 years back for the first time in Bangladesh, when no one even knew how to cook and eat this food item. 

For the last 150 years, they are serving on a plate the desires of sweet-loving Bengalis.

Ibrahim Islam, a customer, shared his experience, "My Ammi (mother) does not allow sweets in the house from other sweet shops. Ammi and my daughter are crazy for the malai bhog. It is a must that I return home with a pack of malai bhog every day."

Sweetmeat is more of a sentiment than a food for us. So after a meal, if you want to fill up both your tummy and heart with those soft, juicy sweets in your mouth, make a tour to Alauddin Sweetmeat, or better yet, order online.