Nihari

For other uses, see Nahari (disambiguation).

Nihari

Mutton nihari
Course	Main course (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Place of origin	India
Region or state	Lucknow, Awadh
Associated cuisine	Indian (Awadhi) [1]
Invented	18th-century
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, goat meat, or camel meat, as well as chicken and bone marrow
Other information	Served with naan or rice or Roti
Media: Nihari

Nihari is a stew which consists of slow-cooked meat, mainly a shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, or goat meat, as well as chicken and bone marrow. It originated in Lucknow, the capital of the Awadh state of Mughal India in the 18th-century. It is flavoured with long pepper (pippali), a relative of black pepper and is often served and consumed with naan, roti or rice.

Etymology

The name nihari originates from Arabic nahâr (نهار), meaning "morning"; ^{[2] [3] [4]} it was originally eaten by nawabs in the Mughal Empire as a breakfast course following Fajr prayer. ^{[2] [4]}

History

Nihari may have originated in the royal kitchens of Lucknow, Awadh (modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India), in the late 18th-century, during the last throes of the Mughal Empire. ^[3] It was originally meant to be consumed as a heavy, high-energy breakfast dish on an empty stomach by working-class citizens, particularly in colder climates and seasons. However, the dish later gained widespread popularity and eventually became a staple of the royal cuisine of Mughal-era nawabs. ^{[5] [6]}

Popularity

Nihari is a traditional dish among the Indian Muslim communities of Lucknow, Delhi, and Bhopal. Following the partition of India in 1947, many Urdu-speaking Muslims from northern India migrated to Karachi in West Pakistan and Dhaka in East Pakistan, and established a number of restaurants serving the dish. In Karachi, nihari became a large-scale success ^[7] and soon spread in prominence and availability across Pakistan.

Karachi-style beef nihari in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia – garnished with ginger, coriander leaves, and green chillies.

In some restaurants, a few kilograms from each day's leftover nihari is added to the next day's pot; this reused portion of the dish is known as taar and is believed to provide a unique flavour. Some nihari outlets in Old Delhi claim to have kept an unbroken cycle of taar going for more than a century. ^[8]

Medicinal remedies

Nihari is also used as a home remedy for fever, rhinorrhea, and the common cold. ^[9]

See also

• India portal
• Food portal

• Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent
• List of stews

References

1. Sen, Colleen Taylor; Bhattacharyya, Sourish; Saberi, Helen (23 February 2023). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 258. ISBN   978-1-350-12864-4.
2. Sengupta, Sushmita (3 January 2018). "Nihari: History Of The Meaty and Buttery Breakfast Staple of The Mughals". NDTV Food. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
3. Chakravorty, Deblina (12 April 2012). "Nihari, a gift from Nawabs". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
4. "Nihari- historical recipe". Homtainment. 23 December 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
5. "In celebration of winter's perfect dish, the mutton nihari!". Hindustan Times. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
6. "Do you know what is Nalli Nihari? History of Nihari and recipe of Nalli Nihari". infusecooking.com. 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
7. Noorani, Asif. "Nihari a la Mexican style". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
8. Sengupta, Sushmita (20 January 2022). "Nihari's 'Taar' to Dahi's 'Jamun': The Desi Art Of Using Remains Of Previous Batch To Flavour Next". Slurrp.com. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
9. "What is Nihari?". indiacurry.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.

External links

• Nihari at TasteAtlas