Hyderabadi Cuisines - Unforgettable 'Eating' Experience

The 400 years of Hyderabadi culture also has its origin in Art, Music & Dance, Poetry, and last but not least, the Cuisine. 

Hyderabad is never complete without the mention of the "Shahi Dastarkhan". The Dastarkhan is the Dining place where the food is served and eaten. It is normally a low chowki for the dining table and cotton mattresses for squatting and bolsters for the back rest. The Dastarkhan holds a place of reverence in every household. 

The Cuisine of Hyderabad has been influenced by various regional and religious cuisines, both Indian and Foreign, despite which it has been able to create an identity of its own. It has also been able to contribute towards making Indian cuisine popular world wide. The "Biryani" from this cuisine is one such example. 

What makes the Hyderabadi Cuisine special is the use of special ingredients, carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree. The addition of a certain Herb, Spice, Condiment, or an Amalgam of these add an unique taste and texture to the dish. The herbs and spices used and the method of preparation gives the dish its name. "Murgh do pyaza" gets its name from the onions that are added twice to the dish in two variations. 

The Masalas or the rich blend of herbs, spices and condiments give the dishes a base, or what is popularly known as "Gravy". Some of these blends are a well-kept secret that pass only down the family line or from the Ustad(Teacher) to his Shagird(Pupil). The head cooks or the "Khansas" were an asset to the house hold, and were treated with due respect. 

The word "Nawabi" is as synonymous with the Hyderabadi cuisine as "Shahi" is with Luknowi. These terms conjure delicacies that are rich in taste and texture with mouth-watering aromas. The "Kebabs" in Hyderabad need a special mention, the "ShammiKebab" is one such popular dish. The Kebabs are originally from Greece!! 

The Hyderabadi meal is never complete without the bread from the kilns of the local bakers. The breads from this cuisine are equally popular, be it rich "Sheermal" or "lukmi" (bread stuffed with savory mince meat). Bread is not only an accompaniment to the meal but also forms a base for a popular sweet dish "Double Ka Meetha".

Built on the foundations of love, the city of Hyderabad boasts of a culture as composite as its lineage. Just as there are Sufi saints in the Garden City, there is also the Tirupati Balaji who the rest of the world swears by. The native Telugu and Muslim races do not have any friction; both in fact, learn from each other. As a matter of fact, the Telugus of Hyderabad quite enjoy identifying themselves as Hyderabadis, rather than Andhraites so strong is the ethnic identity of the city state. Hyderabad, therefore, is merely the capital of Andhra Pradesh and a part of the RangaReddy district. Cultural identities haven’t varied. Both Hindu and Muslim men wear the achkans for special occasions. Even Muslim wives wear the Telugu mangalsutra till recently when such past glories were dispelled and relegated to history. 

Hyderabadi food has also taken many influences, slowly displacing the standard flavours by more improvised ones. This is best demonstrated by the advent of chicken, which if mentioned alongside mutton, is considered nothing short of sacrilege by the gosht-eating population. Mutton being the revered meat, chicken never really stood a chance till the broiler came along. This was clean meat and the North Indian love for Tandoori Murg took over. The point to be noted here is that in Hyderabad, it is the hen that is considered a delicacy while in the rest of the country, it is the Murgha or the rooster. 

There are several dishes in this repertoire that have their origins elsewhere but have been in and around the place long enough to be called natives. This is the quality of Hyderabadi, foreigners can walk in as anybody, but after tasting the waters of Hyderabad, they are forever Hyderabadis. Proved down the ages, this adage has evidence in the cuisine also.

While in Hyderabad, one must make it a point to try out the famous cuisine the city has to offer. Hyderabad boasts of a wide range of traditional vegetarian dishes, which are tempting to the core. They also have an assortment of typical non-vegetarian cuisines. Both the categories are rich in spice content and you need to be careful if you are not used to spicy and tangy food. Though spicy, it is extremely tasty and delicious and is definitely worth a try.

The prominent mouthwatering vegetarian dishes of Hyderabad are the Dahi Vada, Mirch-ka-sabu and Bagaara Baingan. The Dahi Vada essentially contains spicy and creamy curd in which round pieces of ground lentils have been immersed after being fried. The mirch-ka-sabu is a delicious vegetarian dish of Hyderabad consisting of hot chilies, which are immersed in cream gravy. 

For all of you who have an active sweet tooth, pamper yourself with yummy sweet dishes like double-ka-meetha (bread pudding), Gajar-ka-halwa (carrot sweet dish) and Qubani-ka-meetha (apricot pudding). After relishing on the yummy Hyderabadi dishes one should have a sip of the Iranian chai or tea. This hot drink has a distinct flavor and you can easily find it in the street side cafes where you can just laze around and enjoy this famous Hyderabadi beverage.

The cuisine of Hyderabad is highly influenced by the Mughals who ruled here. Hence, the cuisine also has some elements of the Mughlai cuisine. The most famous of all is the Biryani, which is an aromatic assortment of rice, meat and seasonal vegetables. There is also a wide range of Kebabs to choose from which include Chicken korma, Sheer korma, Sheekh Kebab, Shammi Kebab etc. These special vegetarian and non-vegetarian Hyderabadi dishes are best enjoyed in the traditional Shahi Dastarkhana or the Royal Dining Hall. 

It is a conventional dining place where the ancient royal families relaxed and relished on the Hyderabadi cuisine. It is a 'low chowki ' or wooden bed, on which cotton mattresses are spread. They are bordered with relaxing supports and soft cushions on the edges. All you have to do is make yourself comfortable and feel like a Nizam! No meal is complete without the traditional paan, which is betel leaf stuffed with a mixture of betel nuts and spices which is folded in the betel leaf and held together with a clove.

Some of the ingredients of the traditional recipes are kept secret and are only known to the subsequent generations of the royal cooks. The royal cooks of the traditional Hyderabadi families are known, as 'Khansas' and are held in high esteem in these families.