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Come rain or sweltering heat, a biryani lover would never shy away from digging into a steaming plate of aromatic rice, gently nesting succulent pieces of meat. Derived from the Persian word ‘birian,’ which means 'fried before cooking' and ‘birinj’, the Persian word for ‘rice’, biryani has undergone myriad transformations across India, with each state developing their own special version of it.
Among all the variants of biryani, Hyderabadi and Lucknowi are the most popular ones. What's unique to Hyderabadi biryani is its strong blend of flavours and spice. It is prepared with marinated mutton/chicken/vegetables, which is then mixed with rice and meticulously prepared in the 'Kutchi' (raw) style. However, Lucknowi biryani has a delicate flavour. In it, the meat and rice are cooked separately, layered, and then cooked together again. Both biryanis are influenced by the Mughal era, yet have their own distinctive methods of preparation and flavour.
So if you are a die-hard fan of this delicious dish, take things up a notch and tease your taste buds a little more with stories of where some of these biryanis originated. Take this quiz if you love nerding out about biryani as much as you enjoy digging into it.
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