Chelow Kebabs: How The National Dish Of Iran Travelled To Kolkata  

By Aanchal Mathur

Chelow is also referred to as polow in Farsi which means cooked rice. Since these kebabs are also served with rice, the name has stuck to it. 

The actual roots of these kebabs lie in Persia or present-day Iran where they were born under the rule of Nasir-al-din Shah under the Qajar dynasty.  

These kebabs are said to have Caucasian roots which made them different from the other Iranian kebab varieties.  

Originally, the red meat kebabs were served with rice and made with minced meat and served with grilled tomatoes, rice, butter and sumac - a special spice from the Middle-East.  

However, when the dish landed on the Indian plate it was retouched and revamped with chicken or mutton in Kolkata to give it a desi touch. 

The story goes that the owner of Kolkata’s Peter Cat restaurant was in Tehran, Iran in 1971, and this is where he encountered these melt-in-mouth kebabs for the first time.  

He decided to bring Chelow kebabs to Kolkata at his restaurant where he introduced them with a twist. 

The red meat was substituted by chicken or mutton, and raw eggs were not added to the dish. Served with buttered rice, the Chelow Kebabs were a hit with Indians. 

The popularity was such that some people still mistake them to be of Indian origin itself.

The fanfare for Chelow Kebabs in Iran is such that it is considered to be the national dish of Iran.