A recipe for peace
In a recent inter-nation culinary event, the city got to taste the food traditions shared by Hyderabad and Karachi.
If you thought that food is just another part of the culture of a land, think again! Food plays a major role in a nation’s diplomatic strategies. A tasty spread can break tension and ease the dignitaries into meaningful discussions. On the other hand, a culinary mistake could even lead to wars. Recently, the US Consulate General in Hyderabad invited two chefs from the city — Chef Inam Khan and Chef Sudhakar N. Rao and three celebrity chefs from Karachi, Pakistan for a culinary diplomacy event. The basic idea of the meet was to examine the shared traditions between Hyderabad and Karachi and to see if there is an economic element to the culinary cross flows.
Sharing the experience, chef Inam says, “We always talk about the differences between the two countries, but we seldom notice the similarities in our cultures. I think it is an amazing initiative by the US Consulate as this will pave the way for food bloggers, chefs and foodies from both the nations to explore respective cuisines.” Resonating the same thoughts, chef Sudhakar adds, “Food has no boundaries.
Every major meeting or discussions between any countries throughout the world is done with food on the table. And the cuisines of India and Pakistan are somewhat similar, if not exactly the same. So, I feel that food diplomacy between the two nations will go a long way.”
Though culinary traditions on either side of Indo-Pak border are similar, one wonders about the similarities of the cuisine of Hyderabad and Karachi, approximately 1,500 Km apart. Shedding some light on the same, chef Sudhakar says, “Many people are unaware that when the Nizam surrendered the state of Hyderabad to the government of India, most of the nobilities and those who worked for them moved to Pakistan, many of whom settled in Karachi. Hence, the food there has a major influence of Hyderabadi cuisine.”
Chef Inam learned to make the Karachi version of the world-famous Hyderabadi dum biryani when he was working at a Pakistani restaurant in the US. He said that all the ingredients were same except for the use of tomatoes.
He says, “We never use tomatoes in traditional Hyderabadi biryani. I pointed it out to the chef and then I learnt that it was done under the influence of the Sindhi cuisine, which prevailed in Karachi much before the Nizams got there. Similarly, the nihari that is made in Karachi uses a large chunk of meat and has a gingery taste.” The conference also gave the participants a chance to clear doubts Nizami and Telangana cuisines.
“We explained to them that the Hyderabadi cuisine is more royal and rich,” chef Sudhakar says, adding, “They even thought that the dish Chicken 65 is named so as it uses 65 different ingredients. We informed them so because it was the 65th item on the menu.”
The chefs also explored prospects of opening restaurants and hotels in each other’s countries during the event. “I believe that it will be a good move to bring the two countries close,” says chef Inam.
Agreeing to this, chef Sudhakar, adds, “I invited the chefs over to organise a food festival in the city first, as it might take time to open restaurants.” As both countries are grappling to attain peace in the border, the idea that food could just bring about a tasteful resolution to the conflict among India and Pakistan does not really seem too far-fetched.