Where did Hyderabad's Kulchas go?

As Hyderabad celebrates 425 years, Hyderabad’s well-known historian and author Sajjad Shahid tells us an interesting tale of the kulcha from the days of yore, and more about the charming city: “Many who come to Hyderabad for a brief visit, want to stay in this city forever. That’s the charm about Hyderabad — it attracts people,” says Sajjad. Talking about how the city has changed, Sajjad says, “I don’t see any positive change in the city apart from the new IT complexes. It pains me to see people breaking away from age old traditions. Many are not even sensitive towards the rich heritage this city has.”

Sajjad Shahid’s account of Hyderabad’s cultural heritage filled with interesting anecdotes. Speaking about lost Hyderabadi cuisine, he reminisces, “Biryani has overshadowed many other amazing dishes that are part of the city’s authentic cuisine. Numerous other cultures have contributed to the Hyderabadi cuisine. There is double ka meetha, which is a local version of the English bread pudding. Then you have haleem, that comes from Arabia, though I have to point out that Hyderabadi biryani is the best.”

But he adds that we have lost many dishes that were a part of the city’s cuisine: “For example, the kulcha. In an old tale relating to the 1st Nizam of Hyderabad, Qamar-ud-din Khan, there is a mention that just before leaving for Hyderabad from Delhi, he decided to meet a Sufi saint. The saint invited him for lunch and offered him kulchas tied in a yellow cloth. Qamar-ud-din wolfed down seven kulchas. The saint prophesised that one day he would become the king and that his descendants would rule for seven generations. This prophecy did come true,” he narrates.

“A lot of people say that the round object in the Nizam’s flag is a kulcha,” says the author, adding, “And that the flag is yellow because the Sufi saint offered the kulcha to Qamar-ud-din in a yellow cloth. Of course, the Nizam clarified that it was a moon on the flag, after his name. But, people continue to think that the Nizam flag had a kulcha printed on it. These kulchas were traditionally served with nahari, different from Delhi’s nahari. It is very unfortunate that one cannot find kulchas in the city’s traditional restaurants anymore.”