Nihari (; ; ) is a stew originating in Lucknow, the capital of 18th-century Oudh State 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 (), meaning "morning";
it was originally eaten by
in the
Mughal Empire as a breakfast course following
Fajr prayer.
History
According to many sources, nihari originated in the royal kitchens of
Lucknow,
Oudh State (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
.
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
North 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.
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
