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The different culinary preferences of people from different parts of India reveal a variation in their palates which emerged not from a singular tradition of food, but a multi-pronged one. Each wave of immigrants brought their culinary habits and with the passage of time, all of these got absorbed in the local cuisine of India, eventually changing the gastronomy of the country. One such history of immigration is that of the Irani immigrants who came to British India in the 20th century to escape the Great Famine of Persia between 1917-1919 when Iran was under the Qajar dynasty. Millions starved to death and hundreds fled their homeland. However, India was not new to Persian immigrants. In 636–651 CE, a section of the Parsis had emigrated to present-day Gujarat. The famous Irani cuisine that we enjoy in this country originated not from the immigrants who settled in Gujarat, but mainly from the Irani immigrants who came to British India some 150 years ago.Sources cite how these Iranis who had arrived mainly from Yazd and Kerman established these chai cafés as a natural segue from their quotidian rounds of chai and homeland reminiscing. By the beginning of the 20th century, Irani cafes had sprung up on almost every prominent street corner in Bombay, Pune and Hyderabad becoming a symbol both of Iranian cultural integration and distinctiveness. Here’s a list of quintessential Irani food you must try as you soak yourself in the rich history of this beautiful community.
I. Ostaad
Situated near Mumbai’s Kamala Mills area in Lower Parel, Ostaad is a Central Asian restaurant, a beautiful fine-dining space with an old-world nostalgia, serving contemporary and traditional cuisines. The most striking aspect about the restaurant is its intricate embellishments in gold, task lighting on richly detailed chandeliers, and arched mirrors overlooking a sleek, contemporary bar. What is most interesting is its inclusion of cultural elements from the restaurant’s place of origin. These include light touches of Central Asian influence in the walls, the beams and the arches. The menu also includes Mughlai cuisine which exists in India but in an authentic way as the ingredients are outsourced from Central Asia (Iran). Their specialities include the Iranian berry sangria, the tender Mushroom Galawat, and cheesy, delicious Istambul Baked Lamb Kofte. There are also speciality dishes like the Adana seekh, Barraha kebab, Kadak seekh and different types of raans. Vegetarians might try the Kalem Boregi, Spanakopita or the delish Tajik mushrooms. There are also specialty breads like Afghan kameri, Taftan, and Bakharkani available. Beverages include light, ingredient-based selections like Dates and cheese martini, the Ishtafan rose (a mix of botanicals pistachio and rose water in perfect harmony with gin and the pan mojito) and other such delicacies. The baklava and the Malai Rabdi Kulfi are among their exclusive desserts.
II. Maffy’s Pan Arabian Bistro
Named after the fictional character “Maffy’s” who travels all around the world from India, the Maffy’s Pan Arabian Bistro in Colaba, South Bombay is a place that takes you on an experiential journey to the souks of Marrakech. It is a pan-Arabian Mediterranean restaurant started by Mufiz Rakhangi, who, like Maffy’s, has travelled to various places around the world. The food and ambience of the restaurant are a reflection of his adventures around the world. Its culinary options trace a trajectory covering the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. A beautiful space with a view of the sea and the Gateway of India, Maffy’s is a relaxed and casual space with a live counter that dishes out specialities from the menu. The restaurant provides an extensive menu designed by chef Nimish Bhatia. These include the complementary molecular palate cleanser – Goat Cheese and Mango with Mumbai Chilli Achar, different kinds of hummus with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, a wide variety of salads - Fattoulle, fattoush and tabouleh spiced with sumac, Bamia Bamia, a crispy okra salad, Via Casablanca, a smoked salmon salad and many others.
III. Roshan Bakery & Restaurant
Roshan Bakery & Restaurant in Dongri serves everything from traditional Iranian cuisine to Mughlai, Chinese, Tandoor, and Kepsa. Resembling older Irani establishments, the space has high ceilings, an upstairs seating area as well as wooden, traditional seating spaces. There is also a special take-away counter that stocks things like baked goodies (biscotti, oat cookies, bread, chicken white sauce pattice, biscuits, macaroons, freshly made pastries) and different kinds of drinks like raspberry soda and Irani tea.
Patra Ni Machi {secret recipe chutney made by Shapur Meherbani’s mom’s, that’s superb}, tamatar par edu {egg preparation with tomatoes}, Nalli Burra lazeez kebab and seekh kebab, kepsa rice, salli boti with brown rice, dhansak, kheema are some of their specialities.
IV. Piccadilly
Located in Colaba’s Donald House, Piccadilly has been serving Irani, Lebanese and Parsi food for over 60 years, and is known to have introduced the city of Mumbai to shawarmas. The food served include Parsi dishes like Dhansak, lagan nu custard and rava and pat, dishes like chelo kebab, kebab koobideh and kebab barg.
V. Jimmy Boy
Located close to the Bombay Stock Exchange, Jimmy Boy is an old-style eatery with large windows and a high ceiling and an overall spacious atmosphere. It has a homely ambience serving many different kinds of Parsi food. Their specialities include Salli Par Eedu and Chicken Farcha, Chicken Dhansak and Chicken Jardaloo, and Chicken Jardaloo.
VI. Cafe Excelsior
Located near Fort, Mumbai, Cafe Excelsior has a lazy, languorous feel to it. It is a comfortable place for college kids, couples, office-goers and the like. Mutton cutlets, chicken dhansak, Salli Boti, Keema Salli, and Chicken Farcha are among their specialities.
VII. Yazdani Bakery
Yazdani Bakery is a Persian style bakery in Mumbai opened by Meherwan Zend, an Irani baker. Located in the crowded bylanes of Fort, this bakery has cornflower blue walls, with bright red borders peeking out from between the drab brown walls. For more than three generations, Yazdani Bakery had served the chai and the brun maska as their specialities. In this bakery, the day’s menu is written in colourful chalk on a blackboard hanging at the door. Some of the most yummy delicacies included in their menu are khari biscuit and chai, sweet bun maska, apple pie, and mawa cake.
VIII. Souk
Souk at Taj Bengal, Kolkata offers a wide variety of flavours ranging from Moroccan, Greek, Turkish, to Egyptian, Arabic and cuisines. It has an elaborately decorated kitchen with contemporary décor and the romantic Casablanca and the Chef Studio for special occasions. One of the very few places in Kolkata to offer Parsi cuisine and its variations, the Souk is a place where you would go back to again and again.Halloumi cheese, stews and tagines, fresh pita, hummus Beiruty, the Shankaleesh ( goat cheese spread with herbs and spices) are some of the most authentic food you will get there.
IX. Meher Caterers
Meher Caterers located in the alleyways of Bow Barracks, Kolkata, has been serving authentic Parsi food to its patrons for years now. Dara and Meher Hansotia is the husband-wife duo who have been managing the joint for nearly five years now. They have been running a kitchen not only to serve guests at the dharamshala, but also to cater to authentic Parsi food for different occasions and to supply tiffin service to home and office bodies. You can give Meher aunty a call and order a Parsi lunch or dinner whenever you want. A set tiffin would include a staple of carb (rice or roti), a side of vegetables and pulses, patrani macchi, salli chicken, khichdi curry and curry chawal.
X. Rustom’s-Parsi Bhonu
Rustom’s-Parsi Bhonu is a quaint little restaurant in Daryaganj offering a wide variety of Parsi recipes cooked in a way that is homely and authentic. Besides some very good food, it has an old-world Parsi appeal, and is furnished with simple, wooden furniture, old photographs, a vintage pendulum wall clock, lace curtains and jovial and welcoming waiters and waitresses.
Buff Cutlets, Tareli Machhi (fried masala pomfret), Chicken Vindaloo, a Parsi variant of the of the classic Vindaloo, Masoor Ma Gos (a concoction of meat and spices), the Pallonji’s Soda Raspberry, Rustom’s Ginger Fizz are some of their specialities.
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