Mughlai cuisine consists of delicately-spiced dishes developed or popularised in theearly-modernIndo-Persian cultural centres of theMughal Empire. It represents a combination ofcuisine of the Indian subcontinent with the cooking styles and recipes ofPersian cuisine. The Mughals introduced foods such as stuffed meat and poultry, leavened bread, pilau, and dried fruits to the region. They brought cooking methods including thetandoor clay oven, thebraising of meat, the practice ofmarinating meat inyoghurt, and the making ofcheese. They incorporated India's spices and vegetables with these to create a distinctive cuisine.Sweetmeats too were much liked by the Mughals; these includedhalva, rice desserts, andfalooda made with vermicelli in syrup.
Mughal recipes are recorded in works from the Mughal era such as theNuskha-i-Shahjahani, ("Shah Jahan's Recipes") and theḴẖulāṣat-i Mākūlāt u Mashrūbāt ("Compendium of Things Eaten and Drunk"). Sweetmeat recipes are recorded in theḴẖulāṣat-i Mākūlāt u Mashrūbāt and in a dedicated work, the Alwān-E-Niʿmat ("Colours of the Table").
In the modern era, Mughlai dishes have been adapted to diners' tastes. A well-known instance is the modification of dry yoghurt-marinated tandoor-bakedchicken tikka with a creamy sauce to formchicken tikka masala, aBritish curry.
The Mughal Empire in northernHindustan wasIndo-Persian. It had a hybridized, pluralisticPersianate culture.[1] As such, Mughlai cuisine introducedCentral Asian styles of food to Hindustan, and new methods of cooking. They combined these with local spices and vegetables to create a distinctive cuisine for the Mughal court.[2][3]
| Foods from Central Asia | New cooking methods | Local ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| * stuffed meat and poultry *leavened bread *pilau * dried fruits | *Tandoor (clay oven) for baking bread, cookingkebabs *braising meat *marinating meat inyoghurt *cheese-making | * Spices (cardamom,cloves,pepper) * Vegetables (e.g.aubergine from Hindustan;carrot from Afghanistan) |
So, for example,biryani developed in the royal Mughal kitchens in India, combining the native spicy rice dishes of South Asia with the Persianpilau style of aromatic garnished rice and the Persian method ofmarinating meat inyoghurt.[4]
Decorated Indo-Persian cookery books and culinary manuscripts adorned the personal libraries of the Mughal elite.[1]
A popular culinary work from the Mughal period was theNuskha-i-Shahjahani, ("Shah Jahan's Recipes")[5] said to be a record of dishes prepared for the court of the EmperorShah Jahan (r. 1627-1658). This Persian manuscript has ten chapters, onnānhā (breads),āsh-hā (pottages),qalīya (stews) anddopiyāza (meat with onions),bharta (mashed vegetables),zerbiryān (a kind of layered rice-based dish),pulāʾo,kabāb (kebabs),harīsa (savoury porridge),shishranga andḵẖāgīna (omelette), andkhichṛī (rice with lentils);[a] the final chapter involvesmurabbā (jams),achār (pickles),pūrī (fried bread),fhīrīnī (sweets),ḥalwā (warm pudding), and basic recipes for the preparation ofyoghurt,panīr (Indian curd cheese) and the colouring of butter and dough.[7][8][9]
A well-known cookery book from the time of the emperorAurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) or some years later was theḴẖulāṣat-i Mākūlāt u Mashrūbāt ("Compendium of Things Eaten and Drunk").[10][7] Each of its 40 chapters covers one type of dish, starting with breads (naan,kulcha) and then covering kinds of savoury dishes includingqalīya,dopiyāza,bharta,kabāb,khichṛī,zerbiryān, and achār. One chapter coverssālanhā-i hindī (dishes based on Hindustani sauces).[7]
Sweetmeats described in theḴẖulāṣat-i Mākūlāt u Mashrūbāt includephirni andshir berenj (types of rice and milk pudding),falooda (a cold vermicelli dessert),panbhatta (sherbet with fried soaked rice),malida (sweet dough), and several types of sweet dumplings, namelysaṃbosa,pūrī,gulgula, andkhajur.[7]
TheAlwān-E-Niʿmat ("Colours of the Table") from the reign ofJahangir (r. 1605–1627), was dedicated entirely to sweetmeats. It describesnan ḵẖata'i (a biscuit-like bread, sometimes with almond:nan ḵẖata'i badami); sweetenedpuri breads and fried sweetsamosa snacks; sphericalladdu sweets; andhalva. The samosas and puris could be cooked slowly in a sealed pot (dam cooking).[10][11][7]
TheDutch East India Company merchantFrancisco Pelsaert recorded that a wealthy Indian's feast during Jahangir's reign was composed of many dishes for the guests. Meat dishes includedaeshelia (spiced);dupiyaza (with onion); and roasts. Garnished rice dishes included bothpollaeb (pilau) andbrinj (biryani). Accompaniments includedzueyla (spiced cakes of wheat).[3]
Westerners' reactions to pilau in the 19th century varied. Collingham described pilau as one of the two standard dishes in Central Asian fare (the other being kebabs). The Hungarian linguistÁrmin Vámbéry found pilau excellent. The American diplomatEugene Schuyler, on the other hand, called it "pleasant but ... too greasy and insipid".[12]
Edward Terry, Britishambassador toJahangir's court (1615–1619), wrote a description of a Mughlai dinner. Fifty different dishes, each in a silver bowl, were set in front of the guests. He noted that the rice was dyed in colours such as purple and green, and much better cooked than in Britain; he remarked that, flavoured with "a little green Ginger and Pepper, and Butter, ... tis very good."[13] As for the meat, it was stewed with herbs, spices, onions, ginger, and butter, creating "a food that is exceedingly pleasing to all Palates": in other words, Collingham writes, acurry.[13]
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Mughlai cuisine has been adapted by restaurants and roadside food stalls for amass market, resulting in a single dish of marinated chicken or meat, cooked in a thick sauce based on tomato or cream, and accompanied by flatbreads or garnished rice dishes.[2]
In Britain, the Mughal EmperorBabur's (r. 1526–1530) chicken tikka (tandoor-grilled yoghurt-marinated pieces of chicken meat) was transformed in the late 20th century by the addition of tomato, cream, and spices intochicken tikka masala.[14]
The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy, and are often associated with a distinctivearoma and the use of ground and whole spices. A Mughlai meal is an elaboratebuffet of as many as a hundred main course dishes with a variety ofaccompaniments.[15] The distinctive dishes of Mughlai cuisine include main courses such asbiryani (aromatic spiced and garnished rice with pieces of meat),keema matar (minced lamb and pea curry),koftachorba (soup with meatballs), murgh kali mirch (chicken black pepper curry), and muttonrogan josh (Kashmiri red meat in an aromatic sauce),[16] as well asvegetarian options like shahi kaju aloo (sautéed potatoes in acashew and curd curry).[16]
Kebabs, first introduced during theDelhi Sultanate, were developed from simple grilled pieces of meat into a delicate dish flavoured with aromatic spices and dried fruits.[17]Korma is a mildcurry with a thick sauce made by braising meat or vegetables in yoghurt and spices.[18]Murgh musallam is a dish of marinated spiced chicken.[19]Pasanda is marinated meat in a creamy sauce with yoghurt, nuts, and mild spices.[20]
Accompaniments includeMughlai paratha, aBengali flatbread stuffed with minced meat or egg.[21]
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Mughlai desserts includeanjeerhalwa (fig halva);[16]gulab jamun (cheese and rice fritters in a scented syrup);[22]falooda (vermicelli in a thickened syrup);seviyan (vermicelli with milk, clarified butter,rose-water and almonds);phirni (a rice-based dessert);barfi (milk solids cooked to afudge with sugar);[23] andshahi tukra (a rich bread pudding with dried fruits and cardamom).[24][25] The Mughals prized fruits including several varieties of indigenous Indianmangoes as desserts.[26]
A characteristic Mughal drink issherbet.[27] The food writerLizzie Collingham states that the Mughals found mangoes good for this purpose, and gives a recipe for green mango sherbet.[28]
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DOI 0.4324/9781003229421-7
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