Nihari

Nihari (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) is a stew originating in Lucknow, the capital of 18th-century Awadh under the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It 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 is flavoured with long pepper (), a relative of black pepper. In Pakistan and Bangladesh, nihari is often served and consumed with naan.

Etymology

The name originates from Arabic (Template:Langx), meaning "morning"; it was originally eaten by nawabs in the Mughal Empire as a breakfast course following Fajr prayer.

History

According to many sources, nihari 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. 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 a significant amount of popularity and eventually became a staple of the royal cuisine of Mughal-era nawabs.

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 and soon spread in prominence and availability across Pakistan.

File:Beef Nihari, made by Saleha Atif, Pakistan.jpg

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 and is believed to provide a unique flavour. Some nihari outlets in Old Delhi claim to have kept an unbroken cycle of going for more than a century.

Medicinal remedies

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

See also

• Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent
• List of stews