Biryāni

Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, and sometimes, in addition, eggs and potatoes.

''Biryani'' is one of the most popular dishes in South Asia, as well as among the diaspora from the region. Similar dishes are also prepared in other parts of the world such as in Iraq, Thailand, and Malaysia. ''Biryani'' is the single most-ordered dish on Indian online food ordering and delivery services.

Etymology

One theory states that it originated from ''birinj'' ( fa, ), the Persian word for rice. Another theory states that it is derived from ''biryan'' or ''beriyan'' ( fa, ), which means "to fry" or "to roast". It may alternatively be related to the Persian word ''bereshtan'' ( fa, ) which likewise means "to roast (onions)", as the dish is often prepared by flavouring rice with fried onions and meat, besides mild spices. Persian was used as an official language in different parts of medieval India by various Islamic dynasties.

Origin

The exact origin of the dish is uncertain. In North India, different varieties of ''biryani'' developed in the Muslim centres of Delhi ( Mughlai cuisine), Rampur, Lucknow (Awadhi cuisine) and other small principalities. In South India, where rice is more widely used as a staple food, several distinct varieties of ''biryani'' emerged from Hyderabad Deccan (where some believe the dish originated) as well as Tamil Nadu (Ambur, Thanjavur, Chettinad, Salem, Dindigal), Kerala (Malabar), Telangana, and Karnataka ( Bhatkal) where Muslim communities were present.

According to historian Lizzie Collingham, the modern ''biryani'' developed in the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) and is a mix of the native spicy rice dishes of India and the Persian ''pilaf''. Indian restaurateur Kris Dhillon believes that the dish originated in Persia, and was brought to India by the Mughals.

Another theory claims that the dish was prepared in India before the first Mughal emperor Babur conquered India. The 16th-century Mughal text ''Ain-i-Akbari'' makes no distinction between ''biryanis'' and ''pilaf'' (or ''pulao''): it states that the word "biryani" is of older usage in India. A similar theory, that ''biryani'' came to India with Timur's invasion, appears to be incorrect, because there is no record of ''biryani'' having existed in his native land during that period.

According to Pratibha Karan, who wrote the book ''Biryani'', ''biryani'' is of Mughal origin, derived from ''pilaf'' varieties brought to the Indian subcontinent by Arab traders. She speculates that the ''pulao'' was an army dish in medieval India. Armies would prepare a one-pot dish of rice with whichever meat was available. Over time, the dish became ''biryani'' due to different methods of cooking, with the distinction between "pulao" and "biryani" being arbitrary.

According to Vishwanath Shenoy, the owner of a ''biryani'' restaurant chain in India, one branch of ''biryani'' comes from the Mughals, while another was brought by the Arab traders to Malabar in South India.

There are various apocryphal stories dating the invention to Shah Jahan's time but Rana Safvi, the distinguished historian, says she could only find a recipe from the later Mughal period, from Bahadur Shah Zafar's time. It is not her claim that there was no biryani before that; just that she has not found a recipe. Other historians who have gone through texts say that the first references to biryani only appear around the 18th century.

Difference between biryani and pulao

File:Mirchi ka salan and Dahi chutney.jpg, Two ''biryani'' accompaniments, '' mirchi ka salan'' and '' raita''

''Pilaf'' or ''pulao'', as it is known in the Indian subcontinent, is another mixed rice dish popular in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Opinions differ on the differences between ''pulao'' and ''biryani'', and whether actually there is a difference between the two.

According to Delhi-based historian Sohail Hashmi, ''pulao'' tends to be plainer than ''biryani,'' and consists of meat or vegetables cooked with rice with the bottom layered with potatoes or onions. ''Biryani'' contains more gravy (or ''yakhni''), and is often cooked longer, leaving the meat (and vegetables, if present) more tender, and the rice more flavoured. ''Biryani'' is also cooked with additional dressings and often would have a light layer of socarrat at the bottom.

Pratibha Karan states that while the terms are often applied arbitrarily, the main distinction is that a ''biryani'' consists of two layers of rice with a layer of meat (and vegetables, if present) in the middle, while the ''pulao'' is not layered.

Colleen Taylor Sen lists the following distinctions between ''biryani'' and ''pulao'':
* ''Biryani'' is the primary dish in a meal, while the ''pulao'' is usually a secondary accompaniment to a larger meal.
* In ''biryani'', meat (and vegetables, if present) and rice are cooked separately before being layered and cooked together for the gravy to absorb into the rice. ''Pulao'' is a single-pot dish: meat (or vegetables) and rice are cooked separately and they are not mixed. However, some other writers, such as Holly Shaffer (based on her observations in Lucknow), R. K. Saxena and Sangeeta Bhatnagar have reported ''pulao'' recipes in which the rice and meat are cooked together and then simmered for dum cooking until the liquid is absorbed.
* ''Biryanis'' have more complex and stronger spices compared to ''pulao''.

The British-era author Abdul Halim Sharar mentions the following as their primary difference: ''biryani'' has a stronger taste of curried rice due to a greater amount of spices.

Ingredients

Ingredients for ''biryani'' vary according to the region and the type of meat and vegetables used. Meat (of either chicken, goat, beef, lamb, prawn or fish) is the prime ingredient with rice. As is common in dishes of the Indian subcontinent, vegetables are sometimes also used when preparing ''biryani''. Corn may be used depending on the season and availability. Navratan ''biryani'' tends to use sweeter, richer ingredients such as cashews, ''kismis'' and fruits, such as apples and pineapples.

The spices and condiments used in biryani may include fennel seeds, ''ghee'' (clarified butter), nutmeg, mace, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint, ginger, onions, tomatoes, green chilies, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron.

The main ingredient that usually accompanies the spices is chicken or goat meat; special varieties might use beef or seafood instead. The dish may be served with '' dahi chutney'' or '' raita'', '' korma'', curry, a sour dish of aubergine ('' brinjal''), boiled egg, and salad.

Preparation styles: pakki versus kacchi biryani

''Biryani'' can be cooked using one of two styles/techniques, ''pakki'' ("cooked") and ''kacchi'' ("raw").
* In a ''pakki biryani'', the rice, marinated meat, and any vegetables are partially ("three-quarters") cooked separately, before being combined into layers in a cooking vessel. Different layers of rice may be treated with different spices (e.g., with dissolved saffron or turmeric to give the rice different colours and flavours).

The contents are then baked to complete the cooking and allow the flavours to combine. Alternatively, the components may be fully cooked, and then simply combined by layering before serving.
* In a ''kacchi biryani'', layers of raw marinated meat are alternated in layers with wet, pre-soaked, raw rice (which may be treated with different spices as above), and cooked together by baking, or medium-to-low direct heat (typically, for at least an hour). Cooking occurs by a process of steaming from the ingredients' own moisture: the cooking vessel's lid is sealed (traditionally, with a strip of wheat dough) so that steam cannot escape (proper Dum pukht).

A yoghurt-based marinade at the bottom of the cooking pot provides additional flavour and moisture. Potatoes often comprise the bottom-most layer (a technique also used in Iranian cuisine), because, with their natural moisture content, they brown well with less risk of getting burned accidentally. The lid is not opened until the dish is ready to serve.

''Kacchi biryani'' is technically much more demanding and time-consuming than ''pakki biryani'', for the following reasons:
* The different ingredients—meat, rice, potatoes—have different cooking times: tender cuts of meat/chicken can be fully cooked well before the rice is done. To prevent this, many ''kacchi'' recipes use parboiled (semi-cooked) rice rather than raw rice.
* If direct heat is used, there is a risk that the food layer in contact with the vessel bottom may get burned while the interior's contents are still raw. This risk is minimized by sustained baking with moderate heat, or very slow cooking on low direct heat. This approach, however, increases cooking time considerably.
* One method is cooking the dish "blind", with the cooking vessel sealed, so one cannot monitor cooking progress—it takes understanding of the raw foods used, the heat required to cook those raw foods, and how the climate can affect the cooking process. Hence making ''kacchi biryani'' requires a seasoned hand.

Varieties

In the Indian subcontinent

There are many types of ''biryani'', whose names are often based on their region of origin. For example, Sindhi ''biryani'' developed in the Sindh region of what is now Pakistan, and Hyderabadi ''biryani'' developed in the city of Hyderabad in South India.

Some have taken the name of the shop that sells it, for example: '' Haji Biriyani'', ''Haji Nanna Biriyani'' in Old Dhaka, ''Fakhruddin Biriyani'' in Dhaka, Students ''biryani'' in Karachi, Lucky ''biryani'' in Bandra, Mumbai and Baghdadi ''biryani'' in Colaba, Mumbai. ''Biryanis'' are often specific to the Muslim communities where they originate; they are usually the defining dishes of those communities.

Ambur/Vaniyambadi biryani

Ambur/Vaniyambadi ''biryani'' is a variety cooked in the neighboring towns of Ambur and Vaniyambadi in the Tirupattur district of the northeastern part of Tamil Nadu, which has a high Muslim population. It was introduced by the Nawabs of Arcot who once ruled the area. It is typically made with ''jeera samba'' rice.

The Ambur/Vaniyambadi ''biryani'' is accompanied with ''dhalcha'', a sour '' brinjal'' curry, and ''pachadi'' or ''raitha'' (sliced onions mixed with plain curd, tomato, chilies and salt). It has a distinctive aroma and is considered light on the stomach. The usage of spice is moderate and curd is used as a gravy base. It also has a higher ratio of meat to rice. Ambur-style ''biriyani'' is popular as street food all across South India.

Beef biryani

Beef ''biryani'', as the name implies, uses beef as the meat. In Hyderabad, it is famous as Kalyani ''biryani'', in which buffalo or cow meat is used. This meal was started after the Kalyani Nawabs of Bidar came to Hyderabad sometime in the 18th century. The Kalyani ''biryani'' is made with small cubes of beef, regular spices, onions and many tomatoes. It has a distinct tomato, ''jeera'' and ''dhania'' flavour. In Kerala, beef ''biryani'' is well known. The Bhatkali ''biryani'' is a special variant where the main ingredient is onion. Its variations include beef, goat, chicken, ''titar'', egg, fish, crab, prawn and vegetable ''biryani''.

Bhatkali/Navayathi biryani

This is an integral part of the Navayath cuisine and a specialty of Bhatkal, a coastal town in Karnataka. Its origins are traced to the Persian traders who left behind not only ''biryani'' but a variation of ''kababs'' and Indian breads. In Bhatkali ''biryani'', the meat is cooked in an onion and green chili based ''masala'' and layered with fragrant rice. It has a unique spicy and heady flavour, and the rice is overwhelmingly white with mild streaks of orange.

Though similar to those in Thalassery, this ''biryani'' differs with lingering after-notes of mashed onions laced with garlic. A few chilies and spices littered with curry leaves lends a unique flavour to Bhatkal ''biryani''. No oil is used.

Bohri biryani

Bohri ''biryani'', prepared by the Bohris is flavoured with many tomatoes. It is popular in Karachi.

Chettinad biryani

Chettinad ''biryani'' is famous in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is made of ''jeeraka samba'' rice, and smells of spices and ''ghee''. It is best taken with ''nenju elumbu kuzhambu'', a spicy and tangy goat meat gravy. The ''podi kozhi'' is usually topped with fried onions and curry leaves.

Degh Ki biryani/Akhni Biryani of Parbhani

''Degh ki biryani'' is a typical ''biryani'' made from small cubes of beef or mutton. This ''biryani'' is famous in Parbhani and generally served at weddings.

The meat is flavoured with ginger, garlic, red chili, cumin