A balti or bāltī gosht (, ) is a type of curry served in a thin, pressed-steel wok called a "balti bowl".[ rather than from any specific ingredient or cooking technique.][
]
Balti gosht is eaten in North India and some parts of Pakistan,
Origin, history and etymology
Balti, as a food, is named after the steel or iron pot in which it is cooked, similar to a karahi from the same region.
The word is found in Hindustani, Odia language, and Bengali language, and means "bucket".[ Hobson-Jobson: Being A Glossary of Anglo-Indian Colloquial Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, by Col. Henry Yule and the late Arthur C. Burnell. London: John Murray, 1886, at page 40.] The word developed from the Portuguese balde, meaning bucket or pail, and traveled to the Indian subcontinent via the Portuguese seafaring enterprises of the early 16th century. The word likely made its way into the English language during the time of British Raj.
According to Pat Chapman, a food writing, the origins of the word can be traced to the area of Baltistan, in the northern part of the region of Kashmir, where a cast-iron wok, similar to the Chinese wok, is used for cooking. Baltistan shares a border with China. In his Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook, Chapman states:
However, Colleen Taylor Sen states that the origins of balti gosht are unclear, as the food eaten in Baltistan "bears no resemblance" to balti gosht.
Another claim regarding the origin of balti cooking in Birmingham was that it was first served in 1977 in a restaurant called Adil's. At that time, the restaurant was located in Stoney Lane, Sparkbrook, and after some time relocated to another area, but since has returned to its original place in Stoney Lane.[
]
Balti houses
Balti restaurants are often known in Birmingham as 'balti houses'. Some balti houses have a plate of glass on the table top with menus secured beneath.
Balti houses were originally clustered along and behind the main road between Sparkhill and Moseley, to the south of Birmingham city centre. This area, comprising Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane, and Stratford Road, is still sometimes referred to as the Balti Triangle, and contains a high concentration of balti restaurants. On 28 July 2005, a tornado caused extensive damage to buildings in the triangle,[ birmingham.gov.uk : Birmingham tornado ] forcing many restaurants to close. Most reopened by the beginning of 2006 but by 2023 only four remained.
Balti restaurants have now spread beyond the triangle, and can also be found in the south of Birmingham, along the Pershore Rd in Stirchley. Lye near Stourbridge to the west of Birmingham has become known as the 'Balti Mile' with up to a dozen restaurants clustered along the High Street.
The food and its style of presentation proved very popular during the 1980s, and popularity grew in the 1990s. Balti restaurants gradually opened up throughout the West Midlands, and then a large part of United Kingdom. The expanded curry market in Britain is now said to take in 4 billion pounds sterling per year.
Outside Britain, a small number of balti houses are in Ireland and many other English-speaking countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Since the late 1990s, British supermarkets have stocked a growing range of prepacked balti meals, and the balti restaurant sector has since faced increasing competition from the retail sector and from changes in customer tastes, along with other traditional South Asian and Indian restaurants.
See also
-
Pakistani cuisine
-
Chicken tikka masala
Further reading
-
Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook, Piatkus, London — & (1993)
-
Modern Balti Curries, above title republished by John Blake Publishing, London (2006)
-
Pat Chapman’s Balti Bible, Hodder & Stoughton, London — & (1998)
-
2009 Cobra Beer Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London —
External links
