Nihari

Nihari (Bengali: নিহারী, Hindi: निहारी, Urdu: نہاری) is a stew from the Indian subcontinent consisting of slow-cooked meat, mainly shank meat of beef or lamb and mutton, goat meat and chicken, along with bone marrow. It is flavored with long pepper (pippali), a relative of black pepper.

Etymology

Nihari comes from the Persian nâhâr (ناهار) or more precisely nâhâri (نهاری), respectively meaning "lunch". It was originally eaten by Nawabs in the Mughal Empireas a breakfast item after their Islamic morning prayer of Fajr.

History

According to many sources, Nihari originated in the late 18th century during the last throes of the Mughal Empire in the royal kitchens of Awadh, in modern-day Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was originally meant to be eaten as a breakfast dish, especially in cold mornings, on an empty stomach.

Nihari developed with the overall cuisine of Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is an old popular delicacy in parts of Bangladesh, particularly Dhaka and Chittagong. People cooked it for one whole night and they ate it in the early morning at sunrise. The dish is known for its spiciness and taste. It was originally more of a delicacy with myriad variations on spiciness and texture.

Popularity

Nihari is a traditional dish of Muslims of Lucknow, Delhi and Bhopal in India . After the Partition of India and creation of Pakistan in 1947, many Urdu speaking Muslims from northern India migrated to Karachi and Dhaka, and established restaurants. In Karachi, Nihari became a roaring success and soon was found all over Pakistan. Now Nihari is available in Pakistani restaurants around the world. A particular favorite is nalli nihari, which is made with marrow added to nihari, and makes the stew very rich.

In some restaurants, a few kilos from each day's leftover Nihari is added to the next day's pot. This re-used portion of Nihari is called taar and is believed to provide the unique flavor. Some Nihari outlets in old Delhi boast of an unbroken taar going back more than a century

 

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