The word “Biriyani” comes from the Persian word “Birian” which means “fried before cooking.” One could conclude that the word biriyani originated in Iran. While biriyani is popularly associated with the Mughals, there are some historical evidences to show that there were other, similar rice based dishes prior to the Mughal era. There is mention about a rice dish known as “Oon Soru” in Tamil as early as the year 2 A.D. Oon Soru composed of rice, ghee, meat, turmeric, coriander, pepper, and bay leaf and was popular among the warriors. Muslim invaders like Turks, Arabs, Persians, and Afghans introduced the culture of feasts to the Indian sub continent. The Mughlai cuisines were developed during the reign of the Mughals. The Mughals introduced several recipes to India like biryani, pilaf and kebabs.
With time biriyani became popular and many restaurants started to make their own biriyani. Today we will talk about four popular biriyani types of old Dhaka. They are Haji Biryani, Nanna Biryani, Nawab Biryani and Kolkata Kachhi.
Last weekend, in Rutland, the first statue in Britain of the late Elizabeth II was unveiled.
