An international dish
IF there is such a thing as food of gods it is Biryani. No dish can match in grandeur, taste, subtlety and refinement.
The magic of Biryani lies in the way rice is transformed into something ambrosial, absorbing the rich flavors of meat and spice, scented with the dizzying aroma of saffron, rose, and jasmine with the long grains of rice taking the shape of glittering gems
. For centuries India has been a melting pot of cultures, religions and traditions. It has witnessed numerous invasions from Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and central Asia.
Muslim invaders, traders and missionaries like Turks, Arabs, Persians and Afghans left their footprints on the sub-continent. Like many other things cuisine too leaves its imprint on history.
The Mughal dynasty ruled India from 1526 to 1857 and they raised cooking to an art form and introduced recipes like Biryani, Pulao, Kebab, Kheer, Nihari and many more.
The fragrant dish of Biryani is credited to the Mughals but we do find some historical evidence that there were some rice dishes before the arrival of the Mughals a popular rice dish mentioned in ancient texts is called “Oon Soru” in south India as early as 2 A.D.
This dish consisted of rice, ghee, meat, turmeric, coriander, pepper and bay leaves used mainly to feed soldiers of the warriors of the ruling princes.
The famous traveler and historian Al-biruni has penned detailed descriptions of rice dishes at the courts of Sultans who ruled India before the Mughals and some of these dishes bear a close semblance to our modern day Biryani.
The Mughal court had a large number of Persian courtiers, advisors and high ranking officials and the Mughals patronized a host of Persian artist’s poets and intellectuals. There is no doubt that the Islamic Persians introduced and popularized the dish of Biryani.
The word Biryani comes from the Persian Word “Birian” which means “Fried before cooking” and it is safe to assume that the origins of Biryani lie in Iran. Another contradicting and interesting theory is that this dish was introduced by Mumtaz Mahal the wife of Shah Jehan of the Taj Mahal fame.
It is said that the empress once visited the camp of the Mughal army and found that the soldiers were malnourished and anemic.
She ordered the army cooks to prepare a special dish which provided balanced nutrition with good taste.
After some hit and trial methods the army cooks came up with a dish called Biryani and thus this great dish was introduced in the sub-continent of India. When the British exiled Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta the Calcutta Biryani was created.
The Nizams of Deccan introduced various regional variants such as Hyderabad Biryani and Arcot Nawab Biryani. The popularity of Biryani can still be found in all places where the Mughal held sway.
Later on Biryani became a dish for royalty but today Biryani means local sensibilities and traditions making it one of the most popular dishes in the world.
The Hyderabad Biryani gained prominence because of the patronage of the Nizam of Hyderabad and his court.
Tipu Sultan introduced Biryani in Mysore and hence Biryani came to be known as a dish of royalty and the very rich classes. Another legend says that Taimur the lame brought Biryani from Kazakhstan through Afghanistan.
Another popular dish in the Indian cuisine is Pulao and Biryani is said to be a close relative of Pulao. Pulao is comparatively plainer than Biryani and consists of meat cooked with rice.
Biryani on the other hand contains more gravy due to the use of yakhni, and is cooked longer leaving the meat tender.
Biryani contains additional dressings. The main distinction between the two is that Biryani consists of two layers of rice with a layer of meat in between, whereas pulao is not layered.
Biryani is the primary dish in a meal, while pulao is usually a secondary accompaniment to a larger meal.
In Biryani meat and vegetables (if present) are cooked separately before being layered and cooked together.
Biryanis have more complex and stronger spices and has a stronger taste of curried rice due to a greater amount of spices.
The main ingredients of Biryani vary from region to region and the type of meat and vegetables used but meat and rice are the main ingredients.
Other ingredients are ghee, ginger, onions, tomatoes, cardamom, garlic, cinnamon, mint, coriander, pepper, cardamom, green chilies and saffron.
In certain varieties Kishmish, and fruits like apples and pineapple are also used to garnish the dish before serving.
Biryani has been classified under many different names and groups such as Kachi, Bohri, Delhi, Hyderabadi, Lahori, Tehari, Memoni, and of course the famous student biryani of Pakistan.
Whatever the origin or variety of it may be we cannot deny the fact that this savory delicacy from our part of the world has taken the world by a storm.
Today biryani is an international dish popular all over the world and gracing the tables of royalty and on the menu of the most famous restaurants and hotels on all the continents of the world.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
