BIRYANI the hit for all seasons

BIRYANI the hit for all seasons

New Avatar: After Pasta & Ice Cream, Biryani-Flavoured Popcorn Is Now A Sizzling Hit

Kamini.Mathai@timesgroup.com

25.03.2021 

Whether the smoky dark Dindigul version or the veiled spiciness of the Ambur spin-off, biryani is a dish that’s local in flavour but clearly universal in appeal. Bizarrely so, in fact. Earlier this year, it adapted itself into a flavour of popcorn as well. Vishal Gurusami of Chennai-based Binge Pop began offering the biryani-flavoured popcorn, and found that within days of its launch it had become a bestseller. “We do our own seasoning for the popcorn. Clearly, people like biryani in any form,” he says.

The popcorn joins the bandwagon of recent out-of-the-box fusions of the staple such as biryani-scented attar and biryani pasta. And not to mention the biryani flavoured ice cream (which apparently comes with caramelized onion shavings for garnish!) Clearly, it’s the flavour of every season.

Giving an idea of just how much it’s in demand, Swiggy’s 5th Annual StatEATstics report 2020 reveals biryani was ordered more than once every second. In fact, during the lockdown, a large number of users made their debut on the food-ordering app by placing an order for chicken biryani. And now with the elections around the corner, the one-pot meal takes centre stage again at rallies as the surefire route to a voter’s heart — a packet of biryani, the carb-protein dish perfectly poised to raise flagging energy levels.

At its most basic level, biryani is just a meal of meat and rice, says sociocultural anthropologist Dr S Sumathi. “But that little plate holds within it the complexities of Tamil culture and that’s what makes it so popular,” she says.

In the state, the concept of hospitality or ‘Virunthombal’ is all-important, explains Sumathi. “Both food and culture are interlinked so deeply, one does not exist without the other. At a typical feast, for instance, even the very action of how you close a leaf, towards or away from you, signifies whether the experience was mournful or joyous,” she says.

In some villages, food serves as a traditional fundraiser. People who are bankrupt take a loan and throw a feast, says Sumathi. “Well-wishers enjoy the meal and place money under the leaf. So the man in debt raises money without loss of face. Food is the common denominator in times of crisis and occasions of joy.”

“There is a saying in Tamil, veetilai kai nanachitta, vaaku maara kudathu (once you come to the house and eat, you cannot go back on your word), which shows just how closely food and honour are connected. Also what makes food an integral part of TN politics,” says Sumathi. With almost 98% of the state being non-vegetarian, the easy-going and hearty biryani is the perfect way to cement a bond.

When food vlogger Irfan (of the popular social media handle Irfan’sView) got started three years ago, among the first videos he put up was of him relishing a plate of Dindigul style biryani. Almost instantly, it got him 1.6 million views and helped his digital trajectory get off to an explosive start. “When my vlogging was taking off, I would do biryani episodes at least once every two weeks because I found they got the most views,” says Irfan, a 27-year-old BPO employeeturned-popular vlogger. “Biryani is a universal dish but can be customized to local tastes. I realised viewers are on the lookout for what’s new on the biryani scene.”

Biryani is a versatile meal, says Krish Ashok, author of ‘Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking’. “It can be minimalist or extravagant, depending on the ingredients. It can be made sinfully expensive with ingredients like rose water, dry fruits and saffron, or cheap by using lower quality rice and cuts of meat. But whichever way you cook it, biryani brings with it the aroma and aura of a feast,” he says.

Though it traces its origins to Persia and is believed to have been brought to India by the Mughals, today, every part of the country has its own signature version, says Krish. “For instance, the Malabar style incorporates pineapple, while the Bengalis add potato.”

“The Madurai style uses the more meaty seeraga samba rice, while in Chennai it’s the lighter basmati rice that is used. Just the type of rice can change the taste.” Though biryani merely combines the most widely eaten staple rice with meat, it is truly a canvas that adapts itself across class and situation, says Krish. “It’s perfect for people in a rush, for those who have all the time in the world, for the poor and the rich. It’s infinitely variable,” he says. Which is why, election season or not, it’s always got the vote of the masses.