Hyderabadi Cuisine

Hyderabadi cuisine is a princely legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad, India. The city was founded by the Sultans of Golconda, which has developed its own cuisine over the centuries. It is heavily influenced by Turkish (Biryani), Arabic (Haleem), Mughlai and Tandoori, with considerable influence of the spices and herbs of the native Telugu and Marathwada cuisine.

Hyderabadi cuisine could be found in the kitchens of the former Hyderabad State that includes Telangana region (now in Andhra Pradesh), Marathwada region (now in Maharashtra), and Hyderabad Karanataka region (now in Karnataka). The cuisine also contains city specific specialities like Hyderabad (Hyderabadi biryani) and Aurangabad (Naan Qalia), Gulbarga (Tahari), Bidar(Kalyani Biryani) etc.

The cuisine emphasises the use of ingredients that are carefully chosen and cooked to the right degree and time. Utmost attention is given to picking the right kind of spices, meat, rice, etc. Therefore, an addition of a certain herb, spice, condiment, or combination of all these add a distinct taste and aroma. The key flavours are of coconut, tamarind, peanuts and sesame seeds which are extensively used in many dishes. The key difference from the North Indian cuisine is the presence of dry coconut and tamarind in its cuisine.

Traditional utensils made of copper, brass, and earthen pots are used for cooking. All types of cooking involve the direct use of fire. There is a saying in Hyderabad, cooking patiently or ithmenaan se is the key; slow-cooking is the hallmark of Hyderabadi cuisine. The Slow-cooking method has its influence from the Dum Pukht method used in Awadhi cuisine.

Hyderabadi Cuisine has different recipes for different events, and hence categorized accordingly, like banquet food, for weddings and parties, festival foods and travel foods. The category to which the recipe belongs itself speaks of different things like the time required to prepare the food, the shelf life of the prepared item, etc.

Nawab Mehboob Alam Khan is a foremost expert on the Hyderabadi cuisine.