Irani Chai

The story of Persia is the tale of exploration and conquest and the indelible mark it left on South East Asian cuisine. A signature of the vibrant regional heritage, the Persian cuisine, which though predominantly meat-centric, hides the oriental charm of a simple yet fascinating beverage–the Irani Tea or the Irani Chai.

Historical anecdotes hint at the arrival of tea in medieval Iran during the 16th century Safavid dynasty along the archaic Silk Route from China. Tea quickly became the object of intrigue among Iranians who set up a pervasive network of Qahveh Khaneh (coffee houses) that served the brew, unadulterated by sugar or milk, in all its crimson glory.

It is needless to say that religious intolerance has rocked the political history of Iran since the Middle Ages. Subject to atrocities and fear of persecution under the Safavid regimen, a steady trickle of Zoroastrians to the Indian subcontinent continued throughout the Mughal era, culminating into a historical exodus during the 19th century cultural revolution of Iran. It is widely believed that the Yazdi and Kermani Iranians, who appeared in colonial Bombay, were the exponents of Irani Chai in the country.

Once in India, the Irani migrants spread out from Mumbai to Pune and eventually to Hyderabad in search of trade and sustenance. During their initial struggling days, a hot cup of tea at evening gatherings was served as the perfect mood booster to migrant Iranians still battling the trauma of leaving their homes and loved ones behind. The addition of milk to this traditional black tea has most likely been an influence on contemporary colonial culture. Legend has it that a young man at one such evening rendezvous decided to charge a trivial sum in exchange for the beverage and soon, Iranians started selling their tea as a profitable means of livelihood. Lavish Irani cafes serving exotic Zoroastrian cuisine sprung up across Irani colonies and became the cornerstone of Hyderabad and Bombay’s newly discovered café culture. It was in these cafés that the characteristic method of brewing the tea and boiling the milk separately, alongside the addition of mawa (milk solids), began.

In a land hosting an endless variety of tea preparations, it is the method of curation and the creamy texture that makes the Irani Tea second to none.