Centuries ago, Parsis landed on the western coast of India and requested the local King for land to stay. They were running away from the religious persecution they faced back in Iran, the original homeland of the Zoroastrians, now spread across the world, but mainly on the west coast of India and Karachi. The Indian king sent a message colloquially via a glass of milk filled to the brim. As intelligent and cordial Parsis are, the Parsi king just added a fistful of sugar to the milk, which dissolved in the milk without spilling any of it. The Milk became sweeter, which is an appropriate analogy to explain what Parsis brought to India, the sweetness of their well-natured and jolly being.
From what we know, besides Parsis running the biggest and the most ethical businesses in India, such as The Tata group, Parsees brought their undying and unparalleled love for food. Just as Parsis dissolved like sugar in milk, their cuisine too dissolved with the Indian culinary practices, and they created new dishes. With the prominent Iranian influence and the Gujarati touch to the dishes (State where they first settled), the Indo-Iranian Parsee cuisine became a cuisine like no other Indian cuisine of the time. The richness of Iranian ingredients, Saffron and nuts, their penchant for non-vegetarian (Meat) meals, and combined with an abundance of seafood at their disposal from the coast of Gujarat, and the treasure trove of robust spices available in India, the Parsee cuisine of India provided a flavour to the parsees, they happily adjusted to and loved.
“Tikhu Khatu Meethu” That’s how it goes, says Mrs Musa. A simple answer to my open-ended probe, “Auntie, Can you give me gyaan on Parsi cuisine”. My dear friend, Mehernosh’s mother, became my guide to Parsi cuisine when I first met her in 2005. ‘Tikhu-khatu-mithu (Spicy-sour-sweet) is the primary taste profile of the Parsi dishes; She said as she added the E.F Kolah and son’s sugarcane vinegar to the fish curry she was cooking for me.
When I asked her about the only Parsi dish I knew about back then, the Mutton Dhansak (lentil preparation with mutton cooked), Mrs Musa explained ‘Dhansak is a ritualistic dish of the parsees, when someone dies, on the 4th day of the demise, we cook Dhansak’. The next day was a Sunday, and Dr Musa (Her Husband) was spending a leisurely time at home; she intended to cook ‘Mutton Dhansak’ for all of us. And what a great Sunday we had, enjoying the delicious and soporific ‘Mutton Dhansak’ with caramelised brown rice.
When we woke up, it was evening time, and Dr Musa was in the mood for some ‘Mutton cutlets’ and ‘Chicken Farcha’ (A Fried Chicken Preparation). That Sunday went away in a jiffy, leaving a memory of a lifetime and a glimpse into the food-loving lifestyle of the Parsees. ‘Farchas’ were just the right thing to enjoy with single malt.
Here in Bangalore, I visited the colonial establishment ‘Koshy’s’ (Run by a Parsi Family), one of Bangalore's oldest and proudest culinary institutions. Koshy’s is a must-visit place for anyone in love with good food.
Salli - A Unique Culinary Ingredient
‘Salli’ are potato match sticks, similar to aloo lacchas, thin sev. Parsees love ’Salli’. Try a ‘Salli’ ‘Boti’ (Mutton) or ‘Keema Salli’, woah! The ‘Tikhu-khatu-Mithu’ flavour of the Parsee Keema gets elevated beyond bounds as you add crispy ‘Salli’ over it. Serve it with the soft ‘pav’ prepared by the legendary Parsee Bakers (which is a story for another day).
At the military café in Fort, Mumbai, I tasted the ‘Keema Salli Pav’ with Raspberry soda. Military café is an age-old Parsi-run café of great repute. South Bombay, The Fort-Colaba-VT area of Mumbai, houses few of the oldest and the most extraordinary Parsi cafes. Brittania, Kayani and co, Mervan foods, Café Mondegaar, etc. ‘Keema Salli’ was simply fantastic. Try it the next time you are near a Parsee café.
Parsee community is like water; they pick up the flavour of whatever they combine. When in Gujarat, they picked the sweet taste and created dishes like ‘Patrani Macchi’ (Fish wrapped marinated in green coriander-based masala); from Maharastra, they picked up the penchant for spice and chillies, community’s interaction with the colonial Britishers of the time, made them grew a fondness for desserts like ‘Lagan nu custard’, and other puddings.
Do Parsees Love Eggs?
God bless, they do! ‘When in doubt, break an egg’ that’s another mantra Mrs Musa gave me during her masterclass on Parsi cuisine. ‘Par Edu’ wherever you read this text on a menu, understand that a parsee has broken an egg over a dish, Be it Okra (Bhinda Par Edu), Salli Par Edu (Egg on Potato Matchsticks), or anything suffixed ‘par edu’, can be called a traditional Parsee dish. When it comes to eggs, parsees have no hang-ups. Just break an egg, and that’s a Parsee dish for you.
Parsees love their meats and the ‘offals’. Try out ‘Aleti Paleti’ to gauge how parsees make ‘Offals’ taste fantastic. Try an ‘Akuri’ (Parsee’s favourite Scramble egg preparation) to reassure how parsees love eggs, Try the ‘Berry Pula’ to understand the brilliance of Parsees in using ingredients like Barberries to its best effect, and Try parsees ‘Gajar mewa nu achaar’ to get blown away by the sheer repertoire of dishes parsees possess in each layer of their culinary saga.
‘Bhaji dana ma ghos’ ( Leafy dish with the addition of Mutton), ‘Kolmi No Patio’ ( Prawn dish, and the ambassador of ‘Tikhu- khatu - mithu’ taste), ‘Bakhra’ (Parsee’s tea time snack), ‘Chapat’ (Parsee’s Tea time Pancakes, a British Influence), ‘Tomato Ni Ras Chawal’ (Juicy tomato rice preparation), ‘Dar Ni Pori’ (Sweet lentil and mawa stuffed pancakes), ‘Doodhi Nu Pak’ ( Bottlegourd Halwa), ‘Mawa Cake’ (Parsi’s best-known cake preparation), ‘Zardaloo Salli Murgi’ ( Parsee’s play with Apricots in a chicken gravy dish), and the list may go and on, and we would not be done with the Parsee cuisine dishes which can leave a gastronome totally in love with this great cuisine parsees have evolved over centuries of culinary expertise, and their quest for survival.
I owe the credit to My friend Mehernosh Musa and his food-loving family for helping me become a great lover of Parsee food. If you have not been exposed to the food parsees eat or their witty jolly nature, then it’s high time you make a Parsee friend and indulge in the food their family eats. If the person is unmarried, be friends enough to get an invite to a Parsee wedding, that’s where you will fall in love with Parsee food.
Kaizad Patel, A well-known Parsi Cuisine caterer, explained in detail the tenets of Parsi Cuisine, Especially when it comes to catering a wedding. “Parsi wedding must be about the Parsi cuisine, and must not mix it with Pastas, and Sushis of the world, That’s what I recommend to clients.” Although these days, grand weddings happen, and various cuisines of the world get represented, Kaizad explains the charm and authenticity of serving a Parsi-only menu, served at a lawn outside a Fire Temple, just as the wedding rituals are over. Kaizad explained a lot of dishes that go on a Parsi wedding menu, an elaborate affair of which I could share a few dishes with you; however, Kaizad promised a Parsi wedding’s culinary affair would be a gastronomic experience to remember for a long time.
Hopefully, soon I will be attending a Parsi Wedding and will bring you some interesting culinary stories from there. Keep Exploring the vast culinary canvas of India; the advent of the Parsees in India many centuries ago has only made it more colourful.
Sidharth Bhan Gupta is a Hospitality/F&B Consultant travelling across India exploring regional cuisines.