Aaloo and Kolkata’s Biriyani

We all love Biriyani. Mostly Lucknavi and Hyderabadi. So, what is special in Kolkata’s Biriyani? Let us find out here!

Aloo in Biriyani, source: Swasthi’s Recipes

The earliest food chain or the restaurant that served the typical Kolkata’s Biriyani was Royal Hotel. Located at Rabindra Sarani, it was started in 1905 by Ahmed Hussain. Hussain is also credited to serve the oldest biriyani in Kolkata.

So, what is so special about this biriyani of Kolkata?

It has potatoes!

Yes, you read it right! Potatoes!

Most of us may think that Kolkata’s Biriyani is native to the land. But you would be surprised to know that it isn’t. It is actually a variant of the Lucknavi Biriyani.

Origin of Kolkata’s Biriyani

In 1856, the King of Awadh- Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was banished and sent to Kolkata. Leaving his capital Lucknow, the Nawab could not let go of his taste. He, therefore, brought the entire kitchen staff and bawarchis along with him.

It was this feeling of food nostalgia that birthed Kolkata’s Biriyani. Being short on money due to the banishment, the cooks decided to cut down on meat and add potatoes to maintain the richness of the dish.

This is how the famous Kolkata’s Biriyani was introduced. Kalyan Karmakar, a food blogger also confirms this fact as he writes:

“the money was scarce. The spices were toned down, and the biriyani of Kolkata became more subtle than that of Lucknow and had a lower meat-to-rice ratio. The cooks had a stroke of brilliance. Meat was expensive, so they decided to add potatoes instead to give contrast to the rice.”

Drawing Parallels

If one has to draw parallels between the three kinds of Biriyani mentioned above, one would notice that the Lucknavi biriyani depends more on the flavour of the meat. Whereas the Hyderabadi biriyani derives its taste from the richness of masalas (spices). However, the Biriyani of Kolkata is heavily dependent on potatoes for their taste, richness, and texture.

Counter Narrative

According to some historians, it is believed that there had been no scarcity of money. Since back then, the potato was not a native vegetable, it was considered a luxury. A sign of social status, really. And thus it was used in the Nawab’s kitchen to prepare Biriyani.