Did Mughals bring Biryani and it was foreign for native India?

Read on!

#MythBuster #SundaySpecial #Thread.

#KingNala #PakaDarpana #पाकदर्पण.

#Biryani #बिरयानी

#PakDarpana is an ancient #Hindu text that is believed to be written by #Hindu King from times before the #Mahabharata war.Sharing some information from the text.

The text comprises of 11 chapters, having 751 verses (as in Dr. Indradev Tripati's Hindi translation version; and 760 as per Meulenbeld). Interestingly, the very first chapter contains 499 verses, i.e. about two thirds of the entire text.

Eighth and eleventh chapters are the smallest ones having nine verses each. The verses have been composed as a dialogue between King Ṛtuparṇa and King Nala. The King Nala renames himself as Bāhuka after having lost his kingdom and worked as a cook under King Ṛtuparṇa

The first chapter is titled as granthopakrama which deals with the qualities of ideal cook and waiter (pariveṣaka) and elaborately explains different origin.

It lists a total both vegetarian and nonvegetarian food preparations of of 16 kinds of dishes viz. odana (cooked rice), sūpa(preparation of de-husked legumes), sarpis(ghee), vyañjaka (side dish), māṁsa (meat) and śāka (vegetables),

bhakṣya (munchable eatable), pāyasa (milk pudding), rasāyana(rejuvenative), pāna (drinks), yūṣa(preparation popularly known as khichḍi), different rice preparations such as curd rice, ghee rice etc., lehya (lickables), pānīya(water), kṣīra (milk) and takra (butter milk).

Coming to the moot point of the #Thread, the following text explains the recipe for #Biryani in #Sanskrit..!!

Surprised? Read on!!

Three parts of water and one part of rice should be taken and should boiled.

When the rice begins boiling, boiled or unboiled meat that are cut into small pieces to the size of rice, should be added along with little rock salt.

It should be mixed well and little quantity of ghee should be added. When water is dried up, it should be taken out of the fire.

The preparation is seasoned with coconut-milk and freshly prepared ghee along with attractive flowers of ketakī (Pandanus fascicularis).

Pieces of parpaṭa are added and the preparation is given its unique fragrance using camphor and musk etc.

Later the vessel should be closed with the upper lid and it should be kept on fire and mixed well.

When the dish becomes soft, it should be served for eating.

Benefits :-

This maṁsodana (meat biriani) is tasty, aphrodiasic, wholesome, light for digestion. It gives strength to the body and nourishes all the tissues and heals wounds.

There are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian!

mudga taṇdula maṁsānna (green gram rice biriani)

lāvaka maṁsodana(sparrow meat biriyani)

kukkuṭa maṁsodana (chicken biriani) etc.

The word “biryani” is often related the Persian word “birian” which means “fried before cooking.”

But the root of Biriani is birij, which come from word “vrihi” which is a Sanskrit word for rice

Also the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has reference to meat cooked with rice, but that will be a topic for another day.

India made it since ancient times!My point, the dish was cooked by #Hindus since thousands of years long before Mongols/Arabs even saw a grain of rice.

So next time someone says #Mughals brought #biryani, forgive them for being naïve and have a good laugh!

Thank me later!

Also enjoy all the #biryani can you get hold of!

I hear some people are distributing it for free in #Delhi!

#ShauryaDivas

#JaiHind

#Biriyani

#Mamsodana

#Delhi