Biryani, a 400-year-old love affair with Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The famous Hyderabad biryani is said to have originated in ancient Persia or Arabia and was brought to the Hyderabad region by the invading Mughal armies of Aurangazeb.

The Hyderabadi biryani we know today is actually a blend of Mughlai and Telangana cuisines. The dish and its components evolved in the vast kitchens of the Nizams.

According to the Deccani Biryani Makers Association, “The Mughals used to feed their armies the dish as they were always engaged in war. Towards north India, the biryani became famous as the Pakki Gosht Ki Biryani. During the Mughal empire, Aurangazeb installed Nizam-ul-Mulk as the Asaf Jahi ruler of Hyderabad and since then, for nearly 400 years, the dish has been an integral part of Hyderabad cuisine. The biryani also accommodated several influences from Telugu cooking, to make the dish even more exciting in the Nizam’s kitchen. The technique of mixing spices in raw meat and cooking with rice in a special vessel using the slow-cooking method was created for the Kacchi Gosht Biryani. This was the Nizam’s special dish and later moved to the nawabs. And since it was a dish for the royals, recipe was actually under guard and therefore preparation techniques were not readily available or recorded.”

The Association say biryani is a class apart due to is aroma, and characteristic tender meat. There are two types of biryani preparations — the Kutchi Biryani and Pukki Biryani. Biryan in farsi means, ‘fried before cooking’.