Biryani

❧

Wikipedia

Biryani
Hyderabad-style biryani
CourseMain dish
Region or stateSouth Asia
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredients
  • Meat
  • Rice
  • Spices
  • Yoghurt (curd)
  • Cookbook: Biryani
  •   Media: Biryani

Biryani (/bɜːrˈjɑːni/) is a mixed rice dish originating in South Asia, traditionally made with rice, meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef) or seafood (prawns or fish), vegetables, and spices. The dish is thought to derive from a combination of colourful and aromatic Persian pilau rice and Persian yoghurt-marinaded meat with spicy Indian styles of cooking rice. It was created in Mughal-era India, though the precise date and place of origin are debated.

Biryani is one of the most popular dishes in South Asia and among the South Asian diaspora. The dish is often associated with the region's Muslim population. Similar dishes are prepared in many other countries, often with local variations, and often brought there by South Asian diaspora populations. Biryani is the most-ordered dish on Indian online food ordering and delivery services, is used in weddings and celebrations throughout the region, and has been described as the most popular dish in India.

Etymology

The word biryani (Hindi: बिरयानी, Urdu: بریانی) is derived from biryan or beriyan (Persian: بریان), which means "to fry" or "to roast", said by Merriam-Webster probably to be related to Sanskrit: भृज्जति bhṛjjati with the same meaning.[1][2][3][4] The usage is from the Persian phrase birinj biryan (with Persian: برنج birinj, "rice"), meaning "fried rice".[5][6]

Origin

Mughal Empire

Diagram of Lizzie Collingham's analysis of the origin of biryani. In the time of the Mughals, specifically the emperor Akbar, Persian pilau was adapted to include Persian-style yoghurt-marinated meat and spicy Indian styles of cooking rice.[7]

According to the historian of food Lizzie Collingham, the modern biryani developed in India (Hindustan) in the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire, specifically during the rule of the emperor Akbar (1556–1605), and is a mix of the native spicy rice dishes of South Asia and the Persian pilau style of garnished rice.[7] The historian of food K. T. Achaya writes that the 16th-century Mughal text Ain-i-Akbari, written in the time of the emperor Akbar, mentions biryani but states that pilau is "of older usage in India";[8] this could mean that it was a precursor of biryani.[8]

Mughal biryani timeline
Period/Emperor Dates Event
(Timur)(1370–1405)(No record of it in Central Asia at that time)[9]
Akbar1556–1605Mention in Ain-i-Akbari; says pilau is older[8]
Shah Jahan1628–1658Brief description by Sebastien Manrique in 1641[10]
Bahadur Shah Zafar1837–1857Recipe[11]
Key: () and red background: Unrecorded

The Portuguese priest Sebastien Manrique described rice dishes on sale in the tent-city of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as he travelled to Lahore in 1641. Manrique distinguished biryani from pilau: "Among these dishes the principal and most substantial were the rich and aromatic Mogol Bringes [biryanis][a] and Persian pilaos of different hues".[10] According to the historian Rana Safvi, the earliest actual recipe is from the later Mughal period, from Bahadur Shah Zafar's time.[11]

The cookery writer Pratibha Karan states that biryani is of Indian origin, derived from pilau which Muslim traders and invaders brought with them. She speculates that pilau was an army dish in medieval India. Armies would prepare a one-pot dish of rice with any available red meat. Over time, the dish became biryani due to different methods of cooking.[6][9] The historian of South Indian food, Shri Bala, states that there is some evidence that rice was cooked in meat stock in South India. This takes the form of the one-pot pilau-style dish Kottan Soru (lit. "rice assemblage") mentioned in Sangam literature, though it is not known if this developed into the modern pilau.[12] Collingham writes that "in the kitchens [of the Mughal court]... the delicately flavoured Persian pilau met the pungent and spicy rice dishes of Hindustan to create the classic Mughlai dish, biryani".[7]

Variant theories

In the view of the historian of Islamic cuisine Salma Hussein[13] and others, biryani came to South Asia from Persia before the Mughal era,[9] most probably arriving in South India's Deccan region, brought by travelling soldier-statesmen and pilgrims.[13]

A variant theory, that biryani[14] came to India with Timur's invasion, appears to be incorrect because there is no record of biryani having existed in his native region of Central Asia during that period.[9]

The Indian restaurateur Kris Dhillon writes that the dish originated in Persia and was brought to South Asia by the Mughals.[15]

According to the restaurateur Vishwanath Shenoy, one branch of biryani comes from the Mughals, while another was brought by the Arab traders to Calicut (the Malabar Coast) in South India.[16]

Ingredients

Biryani can be accompanied by side dishes such as mirchi ka salan and raita.

Ingredients for biryani vary according to the region and the type of meat and vegetables used. Meat (chicken, goat, beef, lamb,[17] prawn or fish) is the prime ingredient with rice. Vegetables are sometimes added. Navratan biryani tends to use sweeter, richer ingredients such as cashews, sultanas (kishmish), and fruits such as apple and pineapple.[18]

The spices and condiments used in biryani may include fennel seeds, ghee (clarified butter), nutmeg, mace,[19] pepper, cloves,[19] cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint, ginger, onions, tomatoes, green chilies,[17] star anise, and garlic. The premium varieties include saffron.[19] Some commercial recipes for biryani include aromatic essences such as mitha attar, kewra and rose water. Dried sour prunes (alu bukhara) may be added. In nasi briyani and other variants made in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, local spices and aromatics such as pandan leaf may be added.[20]

Biryani may be served with side dishes such as raita (yoghurt with cucumber, tomato, etc), fried or curried aubergine (brinjal), salad, or a curried side such as ande ka salan (with boiled eggs)[21] or mirchi ka salan (with chili peppers).[22]

Dietary variations include adding eggs, potatoes, and substituting meat with paneer or vegetables, especially in Hindu or non-religious vegetarian variants.[23]

Preparation styles

Pakki and kacchi biryani

Lucknowi style mutton kacchi biryani cooked in a clay pot sealed with dough. The dough seal is broken after cooking.

Biryani can be cooked using one of two techniques, pakki ("cooked") and kacchi ("raw").[24] In a pakki biryani, the ingredients are cooked separately (at least in part) and then arranged in layers. The different layers can be individually coloured and flavoured with a brightly-coloured spice such as turmeric or saffron.[24] In a kacchi biryani, layers are arranged in a pot which is then sealed and cooked slowly (Dum cooking) for the food to steam in its own liquid.[24]

Difference between biryani and pilau

Biryani on a 2017 stamp of India

Pilau is a mixed rice dish popular in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and Middle Eastern cuisine. Opinions differ on the differences between the dishes, if any.[25][26]

The British-era author Abdul Halim Sharar mentions that biryani has a stronger curried taste due to a greater amount of spices.[25][27] According to Delhi-based historian Sohail Hashmi, pilau 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 cooked with additional dressings and often has a light layer of scorched rice at the bottom.[18]

Author 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 pilau is not layered.[9]

Author Colleen Taylor Sen lists the following distinctions between biryani and pilau:[28]

  • Biryani is the primary dish in a meal, while pilau is usually a secondary accompaniment to a larger meal.[9]
  • Biryanis have more complex and stronger spices than pilau.[9]

Varieties

In the Indian subcontinent

Hyderabadi egg biryani served with mirchi ka salan, raita and salad

There are many types of biryani in the Indian subcontinent. Biryani is the single most-ordered dish in Indian online food ordering and delivery services, and has been described as the most popular dish in India.[29][30] The names of variants are often based on their region or city of origin. Some have taken the name of the shop that sells it, as in Fakhruddin Biriyani in Dhaka,[31][32] Students biryani in Karachi, Lucky biryani in Bandra, Mumbai and Baghdadi biryani in Colaba, Mumbai.[18] Biryanis are often specific to the Muslim communities where they originate; they are usually the defining dishes of those communities.[33][34]

Outside the Indian subcontinent

Burmese biryani (danpauk)

Varieties of biryani have arisen in many countries,[35] and was often spread to such places by South Asian diaspora populations.[36] For example in Myanmar, danpauk (ဒံပေါက်) is a mainstay at festive events such as weddings.[37][38] On the Persian Gulf, biryani (Persian: برياني) is usually saffron-based with chicken,[16] while in Indonesia nasi kebuli is an spicy steamed rice dish[39] cooked in goat meat broth, milk and ghee.[40] In Thailand the dish is known as khao mhok (Thai: ข้าวหมก), using chicken, beef or fish, topped with fried garlic and served with a green sour sauce.[41]

In culture

Biryani forms "the centrepiece of countless Indian holidays and weddings".[42] In Bangladesh, kacchi biryani with mutton has been described as "the quintessential wedding dish"[43] of Old Dhaka, largely replacing the murg (chicken) pulao that was favoured in the 20th century[43] for special occasions across the subcontinent.[7] In Delhi, the Muslim festival of Bakr Eid was marked by biryani at dinner, using the mutton from the goats slaughtered in memory of the prophet Abraham, who had shown he was willing even to sacrifice his own son.[42]

Biryani is used across the Indian Subcontinent in celebrations. Annual biryani festivals have been held in cities such as Ambur,[44] Islamabad[45] and Karachi.[46] South Asian diaspora populations have held their own festivals, for example by the North American Indian Muslim Association in North America.[47] Biryani festivals have been held more widely in places such as Singapore[48] and Qatar.[49][50]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ See 'Etymology' above on birinj.

References

  1. ↑ Cannon, Garland Hampton; Kaye, Alan S. (2001). The Persian Contributions to the English Language: An Historical Dictionary. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 71. ISBN 978-3-44704-503-2.
  2. ↑ Vishal, Anoothi (14 May 2011). "When rice met meat". Business Standard. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "Definition of 'biryani'". Oxford Dictionary. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Biriyani". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "From Iran to India: The journey and evolution of biriyani". BBC News. 15 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 Karan, Pratibha (2009). Biryani. Random House India. pp. 1–12, 45. ISBN 978-81-8400-254-6.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Collingham, Lizzie (6 February 2006). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. Oxford University Press. pp. 25–29. ISBN 978-0-19-988381-3.
  8. 1 2 3 Padmanabhan, Mukund; Jeyan, Subash; Wilson, Subajayanthi (26 May 2012). "Food Safari: In search of Ambur biryani". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sanghvi, Vir. "Biryani Nation". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  10. 1 2 Collingham, Lizzie (6 February 2006). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. Oxford University Press. pp. 14, 38. ISBN 978-0-19-988381-3.
  11. 1 2 "Rude Food by vir Sanghvi: The people's biryani". Hindustan Times. 25 July 2021.
  12. ↑ Sanghvi, Vir (2 February 2019). "How did Biryani travel all over India?". Vir Sanghvi. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  13. 1 2 "From Iran to India: The journey and evolution of biriyani". BBC News. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "अब घर पर बनाएं खुशबूदार और स्वादिष्ट Best No.1 Chicken Biryani बिलकुल रेस्टोरेंट जैसा मज़ा! - Muskan Food Recipes". 19 August 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Dhillon, Kris (2013). The New Curry Secret. Little, Brown and Company. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-7160-2352-4.
  16. 1 2 Ganapti, Priya (9 April 2004). "Of biryani, history, and entrepreneurship". Rediff.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  17. 1 2 Makhijani, Pooja (22 June 2017). "A Beginner's Guide to Biryani, the Ultimate Rice Dish". Saveur. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  18. 1 2 3 Ravish Kumar interviews historian Sohali Hashmi (9 September 2016). प्राइम टाइम : क्या-क्या अलग करेंगे बिरयानी से? [Prime Time: What will separate from Biryani?] (Television production) (in Hindi). Old Delhi: NDTV. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 Brown, Ruth (16 August 2011). "The Melting Pot – A Local Prep Kitchen Incubates Portland's Next Generation of Food Businesses". Willamette Week. Vol. 37, no. 41.
  20. ↑ "Nasi Biryani Recipe". The New York Times Cooking. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  21. ↑ "Side Dishes to Enjoy with Biryani". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  22. ↑ Kapoor, Sanjeev (2 August 2016). "Mirchi Ka Salan". Sanjeev Kapoor. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  23. ↑ Bhandari, Kabir Singh (21 April 2020). "The curious case of potato in Kolkata biryani and how the British fed us a lie". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 Dey, Shuvra (16 November 2022). "The origin of Biryani – how a Mughal delicacy invaded Bengal". GetBengal. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  25. 1 2 Shaffer, Holly (2012). "6: Dum Pukht". In Ray, Krishnendu; Srinivas, Tulasi (eds.). Curried Cultures: Globalization, Food, and South Asia. University of California Press. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-0-520-27011-4.
  26. ↑ "What is the Difference Between Biryani and Pulao". Mynt Orlando. 23 June 2023.
  27. ↑ Sharar, ʻAbdulḥalīm (1989) [1913]. Lucknow: The Last Phase of an Oriental Culture (Hindustan Men Mashriqi Tamaddun ka Akhri Namuna). Translated by E.S. Harcourt; Fakhir Hussain. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-562364-2.
  28. ↑ Taylor Sen, Colleen (2014). Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India. Reaktion Books. pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-1780233918.
  29. ↑ Daniyal, Shoaib (7 February 2020). "Biryani is India's most popular dish – so why does the BJP hate it so much?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  30. ↑ Tandon, Suneera (16 December 2020). "Jubilant FoodWorks forays into biryani business with 'Ekdum'". Mint. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  31. ↑ "Dhaka's Biryani - A Taste of Aristocracy". NIBiz Soft. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  32. ↑ Bipul, Hassan (28 March 2016). "Dhaka's biryani can be UNESCO world heritage, says food critic Matt Preston". Bdnews24.com. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  33. ↑ "Where does biryani come from?". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  34. ↑ Daniyal, Shoaib (7 February 2020). "Biryani is India's most popular dish – so why does the BJP hate it so much?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  35. ↑ Wallis, Bruce (12 April 2017). "Eat My Words: A taste of Iraqi Kurdistan". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  36. ↑ "Iconic Dishes: A Guide to Rice Dishes in Malaysia and Where to Find Them". Michelin Guide. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  37. ↑ "Biryani trade takes on a new flavour". The Myanmar Times. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  38. ↑ "Mouth-watering Thingyan food and delicacies". The Myanmar Times. 6 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  39. ↑ "Nasi Kebuli Gaya Betawi" [Betawi Style Kebuli Rice]. Kompas (in Indonesian). 21 February 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  40. ↑ Dharmaputra, T. S. (2015). Kumpulan Masakan Favorit Sepanjang Masa (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Puspa Swara. ISBN 978-602-213-036-9. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  41. ↑ Ismael, Furqan (11 February 2022). "ข้าวหมกไก่มาจากไหน ทำไมถึงกลายมาเป็นอาหารอิสลามในประเทศไทย" [Where did Khao Mok Gai come from? Why did it become an Islamic food in Thailand?]. Halal Life Magazine (in Thai). Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  42. 1 2 Haq, Husna (7 October 2016). "India's biryani wars". BBC Travel. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  43. 1 2 "Old Dhaka Weddings: Of flavours and traditions". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  44. ↑ "Beef banned from menu at Tamil Nadu biryani festival, authorities asked to reconsider decision". India Today. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  45. ↑ "Back Biryani Festival and Presenting of REAP Journal Ceremony". High Commission of Malaysia, Islamabad. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  46. ↑ "Biryani Festival 2024". Morocco Consulate Karachi. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  47. ↑ "Biryani Fest". North American Indian Muslim Association. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  48. ↑ "Savour the Flavours at Singapore's Only Biryani Festival 2.0". In Diplomacy. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  49. ↑ "Thousands throng first-ever Biryani Festival". The Peninsula. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  50. ↑ "Biryani Festival launched". Gulf Times. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2025.