Hidden legacy: The cream of the crop

The story of how children's dislike has kept a family's ice cream business going for generations

KARACHI: It was in the 1950s that a mother, a resident of Karachi, was greatly perturbed by her children's distaste for milk, which no amount of insistence could cure. Fast forward to 2015, the granddaughter of that woman is faced by a somewhat similar dilemma; her children refuse to eat fruit. Both women found the solution to their motherly concerns in the form of homemade ice cream manufactured from fresh, seasonal fruit.

The family heirloom, an assortment of sorbets and gelatos made from tangy, fibrous plums and succulent pomegranates, to name a few, is neither famous nor found in the commercial ice cream market.



At present, Saadia Zafar, granddaughter of Sultana Anwar Ali, the pioneer of the family's homemade ice cream, is managing her own brand 'Saydyz'. "I'm managing two types, the sorbets made of fruit juice and gelato, which is based on a creamier composition," she explains.

Both women are greatly troubled by the 'ice cream' sold in the market. "The ice cream that we get in the market has more air in it, as it is whipped at a fast pace. Ours is slowly churned and has fresh cream as its main ingredient," said Sadia.

Sultana's son, Altaf, narrated a similar tale from around five years ago. Sultana was horrified after tasting a local brand of ice cream when the family relaxed after dinner one day. "Altaf, I am sick of this fake ice cream!" she cried out in utter disgust. Sultana found within herself the drive to resume her ice-cream making hobby at home with a small, motorised machine. The mother-son duo was soon advised to expand to a commercial setup as their ice cream had reached new heights of fame among friends and family. "An outlet in Khadda Market never materialised," shares Altaf. "There were always problems with tax collectors and extortionists. I then moved on to a job at a life insurance company, while my mother was left to take care of whatever orders she would receive at home."





The homemade ice cream buzz died down eventually after Sultana suffered a stroke and it was not until the time when Saadia approached her uncle and grandmother for the machine that the craze was reignited. "We resisted for the simple reason that we believed that mother might want to get back on her feet and resume her talents. But then it was not fair of us to refuse someone with so much potential, as she already had her cake business rolling," says Altaf, pride for his niece reflecting in his tone.

Today, Saadia has her setup in full swing, catering to orders from the diabetic and diet conscious, though now she has moved on from her grandmother's old machine to a proper gelato machine.

"There is absolutely nothing artificial in this ice cream," she exclaims, as she presents her mango-pomegranate gelato and blood red pomegranate with black salt sorbet creation, which is both attractive to the eyes and bursting full of flavour.



The milk and cream used in the ice cream is fresh and hormones-free. To satisfy the sweet tooth she goes for alternative of honey and even sucraal, as desired by her clients. "I use a stabiliser and there are no artificial preservatives. It can survive for six months easily in a freezer," explains Saadia.

A family legacy that continues to flow from one generation to the next, the pioneer of the business, Sultana, never dreamed that her hobby would be embraced by her family in such a manner. "Actually, my own mother made fruit interesting for us to eat through ice cream, as we were not too enthusiastic about eating healthy," chuckles the 87-year-old.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2015.