Anthony Bourdain once said that “food is everything we are… your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma.” A customer in Canada and the opening of a Hyderabad bakery on Romford Road in East London this week have given that sentence a distinctly Hyderabadi form, as both went viral online.
The customer ordered a tray of chicken dum biryani and in pure Dakhini language and Hyderabadi idiom demanded double masala, double gosht and a flavour that would make him think of Charminar; and the London shop put Osmania biscuits, fruit biscuits, curry puffs, Dilkhush and Double ka Meetha on its menu.
“Biryani Hyderabadi style me hona, biryani ke naam pe pulao nakko bhejo,” said Imtiaz Ghulam in the customer note, according to Instagram user @samawiak, who identified him as her husband and the writer. While the attribution has not been verified, the note struck a chord with many as it asked for double masala, double meat, a freshly prepared dum biryani and enough food for the “bhukkads” at the table. It also added “Allah ka wasta hai” and “aapku aapke amma ki kasam”. The customer then warned that he would seek a refund if the taste failed.
The humour was about accuracy as the customer left little room for the kitchen to interpret what “Hyderabadi style” meant. Going by the claim of Sama, the dish was coming from Hyderabad Biryani House Calgary, which announced its opening on June 6, and its own line read, “The Taste of Hyderabad, Now in Calgary.”
The same demand appeared in London through a different menu, as Hyderabad to London Bakers opened on Romford Road, which has been described as Europe’s first Hyderabadi bakery.
The menu lists Osmania biscuits, fruit biscuits, coconut macaroons, curry puffs, chicken rolls, Fine Biscuit, Dilkhush, Dilpasand, Double ka Meetha and jam rolls, all associated with Irani cafés and old neighbourhood bakeries that are also disappearing from Hyderabad. Those smaller foods matter because people often miss a particular version, known through repetition, rather than the general idea of a dish.
“It sounds funny, but the craving for your hometown is real. You can find every fancy cuisine in a metro city, but only your neighbourhood chaat wala bhaiya knows exactly how you like your pani puri. Only your dad knows which little restaurant makes your favourite Chinese,” said Deepanita G., who came to Hyderabad from Nagpur for work. Her point explains why the words “Hyderabadi style” required a full paragraph of instructions in Calgary.
Karthikeya A., born and brought up in Hyderabad, read the note from Chennai and said, “I’ll take this as an excuse to rant about the ‘biryani’ here.” He further called the note to the Calgary restaurant a banger and spot on, as if reflecting exactly what he feels on a day-to-day basis.
The price of the biryani was also a part of several discussions online.
A social media user wrote, “I mean, you wouldn’t want to waste 68 dollars on pulao, right?” This goes on to further show how those abroad, missing the taste of their home food, don’t mind paying extra to get the authentic taste.
“I have paid `700 when I was in Mumbai to eat authentic Kolkata biryani, so I totally understand,” added Tuhina Chatterjee, who is currently working in Hyderabad.
Bourdain’s “personal history” remains inside the details of all of this all along. The Calgary customer had written, “khaye toh Charminar ki yaad aajana”, and that is exactly what most people displaced from their hometown are looking for.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
