We’re a nation of hedonists and our guilty pleasure of choice is food. And for all our diversity in cuisines that devotion to food unites the nation. Still, you might have wondered while enjoying the rich culinary culture of the country, who developed certain staples like the biryani or a chicken tandoori, and how they came to be? No? Well, we weren’t either till someone casually told us the story behind biryani, and it got us hooked.
We’re serious about our food-based history here at Homegrown (check out Hidden Histories: The Stories Behind Some Of Mumbai’s Most Frequented Locales if you don’t believe me), but this time we decided to dig a little deeper. After some serious scouring, we managed to dig up the history and origins behind some of the most beloved Indian dishes. Since some accounts are largely dependent on oral histories, a few facts have gotten blurry as they’ve been passed down through the years, so bear with us regarding those that have multiple contradictory theories that even food historians can’t agree upon. That said, others are wholly reliable and incontestable. One thing is for sure though, trust us when we say that some of the stories we’ve unearthed are going to leave you utterly satiated.
I. Gulab Jamun
Just the mention of Gulab Jamun will get any Indian’s heart racing and mouth salivating. Calorie-filled, sweeter than the mind can imagine and deep-fried, it’s a firm favourite at any Indian celebration. The gulab jamun was first invented in the Mediterranean/ Persian region where it was known as the ‘Luqmat al Qadi’. It was made of dough balls that were deep-fried, soaked in honey syrup, sprinkled with sugar and some rose water. Although we’ve modified it to our tastes, no can deny how beloved Gulab Jamun is, so we ought to thank the regions that created them.
II. Chai
India and tea are inseparable, it’s just a fact. Our connection to chai is so deep, that no one would question it comes from our homeland. Except it doesn’t, shocker there! Chai actually comes from China, where it was used as a medicinal drink, but the British wanted to break the Chinese monopoly in the tea market and introduced chai to India. As weather for chai was favourable here, we prospered. Chai wasn’t even popular till about the 1950s as a daily drink, but today you’ll find chai in every location imaginable, from tea stalls so skint you’d be hard pushed to find much else, to high-tea served in the most luxurious of places.
III. Jalebi
While India loves its Jalebi, there’s a fair difference between how it’s made in the North and the South. While the North likes theirs thin and crispy, the South prefers theirs to be thicker. Jalebi, however, has its origins in Persia and the Arab region. Known as Zalabiya and Zalibiya in Persian, the dish was brought to India through Persian invaders.
IV. Dal Bhaat
If someone would rate the levels of comfort food available in India, there’s no way dal bhaat wouldn’t make the top spot. With a warm texture filled with lentils (and usually our parent’s love), this simple dish may seem like it’s classically Indian, but the gospel truth is that it comes from Nepal. It’s not that hard to imagine, seeing as the cold climate of Nepal along with the Himalayan region would provide the best location for this warm, fulfilling soul food.
V. Rajma
No Punjabi household is complete without that deadly combination of rajma and rice. It was surprising then to find out that Kidney beans, the key component to Rajma was brought in from Central Mexico and Guatemala. We beg to wonder, what exactly did they use before kidney beans? Anyone who’s ever tried Mexican food though, cannot deny the influence of the kidney bean combo on our palate, especially when they taste the mole sauce or ask for kidney beans at any place that sells a burrito. The preparation of soaking and boiling the beans, followed by the addition of spices is a purely Mexican invention. Viva Mexico!
VI. Filter Coffee
No South Indian household is complete without the whiff of good ol’ filter coffee. Our “Kaapi” breaks are all that keep us alive in the monotony of day to day affairs, so it’s time we thank Baba Budan, who brought coffee to India in the 16th century while on pilgrimage at Mecca. On returning to India, he cultivated coffee and the drink soon became very popular, although it was drunk without milk and sugar in the place of liqueur, a heady affair. The modern style of drinking filter coffee was popularised by the Coffee Cess Committee when they set up their first coffee house in Bombay in 1936. However, it became a part of our daily lives somewhere around the 50’s and has stayed put since.
VII. Naan
How would you eat your butter chicken or paneer tikka masala if you didn’t have naan around? If you don’t have it, and force roti instead, you can hardly call it a “naan” issue. If there’s one way Indians don’t mind clogging their arteries, it’s eating naan. While our western counterparts have started to enjoy its many benefits, naan didn’t originally come from Punjab. While it has Persian and Iranian roots, the naan was first brought to our shores by the Mughals and is probably why it’s a staple with so many Mughlai dishes. It’s reached a point where every region has its own fantastic version of naan from the raisin filled Peshawari naan to the calorie-laden garlic and cheese-loaded naan.
VIII. Vindaloo
While the very sound of vindaloo will transport you to Goa, the spicy meat curry has more in common with Portugal that it does India. It’s an adaptation of the popular carne de vinha d’alhoos (sound familiar?) which is a dish made of wine, pork, and garlic, which explains its name (vin-wine, alhos- garlic). India modified the dish by adding palm vinegar, pork/beef/chicken and a multitude of spices. The original recipe does not use potatoes, but the d’alhos portion was modified to aloo, which allowed for that subtle pop of carby goodness that you experience every meat chunk or so.
IX. Shukto
Shukto is yet another dish that has its origins in Portuguese cuisine. While this dish is very well known in Bengal, it’s undeniably Portuguese and is prepared with bitter gourd, which, while Indian in origin, was also used by the original Portuguese colonisers for the food. Slowly, influences like numerous other vegetables, a dash of milk/sweet was added to enhance the flavour of the dish.
X. Bandel Cheese
It seems there are a plethora of ways in which the Portuguese influenced our cooking and the Bandel Cheese is one of many of them. While the cheese was developed in India and had its origins in Eastern India, the Portuguese had their own techniques when making it and experimented to enhance the smoky flavour. The fermentation techniques of the Portuguese helped develop the Bandel cheese into what it is today.
XI. Petha
Anyone who has ever visited the Taj Mahal will know that their trip to Agra was incomplete without Petha. Petha’s origins lie in the construction of the Taj Mahal at the height of the Mughal empire. When the monument was under construction, the workers got bored of their daily dal, so emperor Shah Jahan shared his concern with architect Ustad Isa Effendi, who requested Pir Naqshbandi Sahib to pray. He apparently went into a trance and received the recipe for Petha after which 500 cooks made the dish for the workers. At least that explains why it tastes so divine.
XII. Dal Bati
From Jaipur to Mewar to Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Udaipur, you’d find it difficult to find someone who doesn’t sing the praises of Dal Bhati Churma. The origin of this dish takes place in the historic Chittorgarh Fort in Mewar, where the Rajput kings of Mewar required copious amounts of Dal Bati for wars. Bati could be made with very few ingredients and little water which made it a miracle food for war. So now you can unleash your inner warrior every time you sink your teeth into this.
XIII. Mysore Pak
The best of Mysore history cannot every exclude its best import, Mysore Pak. The sweet delight was made in the kitchens of Mysore Palace in the early 20th century when Nalawadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar was the reigning king. Kakasura Madappa, the then royal cook in Mysore Palace, made it his mission to try to please the king with different dishes. One day, he decided to experiment with chickpea flour, ghee and sugar. When the king tasted it, it melted right at the tip of his tongue. On being asked what the name of the dish was, the cook invented the name Mysore Paka, Paka being the Kannada word for sweet concoction, and thus a star was born.
XIV. Khaja
For the people of Odisha, their beloved Khaja becomes a matter of pride especially considering how long the recipe has lasted. It is said to have been borrowed from the Gangetic plains of Bihar some 2000 years ago. The history of Khaja dates back the Mauryan and Gupta Empires, although the texture of Khaja differs in different countries. Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra each have their own unique take on the dish, for example, the Bihari version is renowned for its puffiness, whereas the Khaja of Kakinada is known for being dry on the outside and juicy inside. If that doesn’t get your mouth watering, we don’t know what will.
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