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THE BIRTH OF THE BIRYANI RESTAURANT

The founding owner at the planning stages (prior to opening of THE BIRYANI RESTAURANT in November 2017) had travelled all over India for five years in search & study of the diversity and uniqueness of biryani in different states. He discovered that there were 52 accredited versions of biryani and that biryani was one cuisine that unites India.

During his travels in India he encountered many biryani master chefs, and owners of biryani restaurant chains, who motivated & inspired him. Most of them helped him to understand the Art & Science of making different versions of biryani.

Whilst he not an experienced cook, he has gained an in-depth knowledge of preparing biryani, the uniqueness of spices that are used and how to blend & balance spices to orchestrate a melody of taste & flavours including high notes

He also realised that what ever the version of biryani, there was only three traditional methods of cooking biryani, named “Kacchi", “ Pakki” & Stock method

He chose 6 versions out of the 52 for THE BIRYANI RESTAURANT- Colombo 12

THE HISTORY OF BIRYANI

One legend has it that the Turk-Mongol conqueror, Timur, brought a rudimentary version of biryani with him when he arrived at the frontiers of India in 1398. Believed to feed Timur’s army, an earthen pot full of rice, spices and whatever meats were available would be buried in a hot pit, before being eventually dug up and served to the warriors.

Another has it that the dish was brought to the southern Malabar coast of India by Arab traders. There are records of a rice dish known as Oon Soru in Tamil literature as early as the year 2 A.D. Oon Soru was said to be made of rice, ghee, meat, turmeric, coriander, pepper, and bay leaf, and was used to feed military warriors.

However, the most popular story traces the origin of biryani to Mumtaz Mahal (Shah Jahan’s queen). It is said that Mumtaz once visited the army barracks and found the soldiers looking weak and undernourished. She instructed cook to prepare a meal with meat and rice in same pot to provide balanced nutrition to the soldiers – and the result was biryani of course! At the time, rice was fried in ghee, without washing, to give it a nutty flavour and prevent it from clumping. Meat, aromatic spices, and saffron were added to it before cooking the mix over a wood fire.

The Nizams of Hyderabad and Nawabs of Lucknow were also famous for their appreciation of the subtle nuances of biryani. Their cooks were famous world over for their signature dishes. These rulers too were responsible for popularising their versions of the biryani

Other than the technique of cooking, spices also play a critical role in preparing a good biryani – some recipes call for a very limited use of spices while others use more than 15 different spices. Meat or chicken is often the main ingredient, though in some coastal varieties, fish, prawns, and crabs are also used. Use of rose water, sweet edible attar and kewra water in biryani is also common, a practice prevalent since the medieval era.

India now has over 52 accredited versions of biryani, each version being unique to the area with localisation based on availability of ingredients.