Cuisine of Hyderabad | Famous Hyderabad Food

Hyderabad

Hyderabad cuisine is indeed very popular all over the country, if not world. You think of Hyderabad and you think of Biryani. Shahi Dastarkhan is one of the most popular words associated with Hyderabadi way of dining.

It is the place where the food is eaten. Hyderbadi food is well-cooked and has the balance of all the right ingredients to make it more delicious than any of its peers all over the country.

You will find in it mix of Herbs, spices, condiments and a unique taste. Also, do not forget to eat Murgh Do Pyaaza. The masalas and the gravy is not to be missed.  

The city has its ubiquitous Irani Hotels, serving thousands of cups of tea everyday. For the diet-unconscious, Hyderabad probably has the largest number of ice cream brands to offer. In addition, the city's main shopping areas are crowded with

The entries are listed below cuisine wise, and good places to have them are listed under each entry in smaller print. This is in no way an exhaustive list you are bound to find an excellent hotel which we may have missed!

Hyderbadi
Umm! The mouth watering Shahi cuisine of Hyderabad. As soon as a person hears the mention of Hyderabadi Biryani, he starts whetting his appetite! The wafting aroma hits you before you set your eyes on the delicious mounds of fragrant, steaming rice with the tempting sight of a traditionally cooked chicken peaking out! It is so popular that it takes a special mention in the world of cuisine's.

A part from this king of the delicacies, the entire Shahi Nizam cuisine is very popular for its rich and aromatic taste. "The food is

Another speciality eaten very early in the morning is Nahari, a curried soup of sheep's trotters and tongue. It cooks all night, and a nothing stale is considered edible, it is served up right away in soup bowls, and you drunk in piece of spongy Sheermahal bread. And during the festival day of Id-ul-Fitr, it is traditional to serve sheer quorma, the delicious kheer, made with sevian, dried fruits and dates.

This cuisine owes its origins to the Mughalai style of cooking of the Asaf Jahi period. By carefully mellowing and nurturing the typical Mughalai flavours with a blend of spices, the cuisine of Hyderabad was born. While there is a certain exotic quality to some of the royal foods, it is also known that a true Hyderabadi will go any where in the city for a well prepared dish, however humble its origin.

For those who want a taste of the royal menu, there is a variety of Biryanis (a rice and meat preparation, seasoned with spices and flavourings); Kababs (meat pieces or minced meat cooked in many different styles such as Boti Jhammi, kalmi, Shikampur, Sheek, Lagan-ke-kababs, Dum-ke-kababs); Khormas (either meat or vegetables cooked in a rich creamy gravy) and Lukhmi (pastry). During the month of Ramzan, one gets to taste Haleem (a pounded wheat and meat preparation). For those who prefer more homely food, there is Kichri (a rice a lentil preparation); Kheema methi (minced meat with fenugreek); Nahari ( stew of tongue and lamb trotters); Rumali Rotis (bread as thin as a handkerchief) and Chakna (a spicy dish of meat).

For vegetarians there is Bagara Baingan (a rich spicy preparation of aubergines); Mirch-ka-salan (chillies in a creamy gravy); Tomato kut (aromatic puree of tomato with flavourings); and Shahi dahi vadas (lentil dumplings in youghurt sauce).

For dessert, on can have a pick from Double-ka-meetha (a bread and cashewnut pudding); Qubani-ka-meetha (stewed apricod dessert); Anday-ka-piyosi (made with eggs, mild, almonds and purified butter); Badam-ki-jhab (marzipan) and Dil-e-Firdaus ( a rich, milk-based sweet).

Good Places Firdaus (Krishna oberoi, Banjara Hills) Dhak (Gateway Hotel, Banjara Hills), Hotel Akbar (M.G.Road), Azizia Hotel (Nampally), Hotel Madina (Pattargatti), Garden Restaurant (S.D.Road), Banjara Darbar (Panjagutta), Hotel Parwez (Nampally). Many small hotels and restaurants around the Charminar area also offer some authentic Hyderabadi dishes - a few of them serve 'Haleem' throughout the year. The Chaknawadi around Charminar area is famous for its 'Chakna', but one must go before 2.00 P.M.

Andhra & the South Indian
The Andhra cuisine is distinct for its hot and spicy food with a range of chutneys, curries, meat preparations and pickles. One can also taste the cuisines of Karnataka (Udipi) and Tamil Nadu - the omnipresent dosas, idlis and vadas.

Good Places Raaga (Holiday Inn, Banjara Hills), Amaravathi (Hyderguda), Abhiruchi (S.D.Road), Hotel Rajdoot (Lakdi-ka-pul), Abhilasha (R.T.C x Roads), Hotel Indu Deluxe (Saifabad). For vegetarian cuisine: Taj Mahal Hotel (Narayanguda, Koti, S.D. Road & Abids), Hotel Shanbagh (Panjagutta, Basheerbagh), Mithila (Koti), Kamat Hotel (Nampally, S.d. Road. Saifabad)

Chinese
Hyderabad also boasts of a number of Chinese restaurants ranging from the inexpensive to the exclusive.

Good Places Hai King (Himayatmagar), Golden Dragon (Park lane), Blue Diamond (Fateh Maidan), Nanking (Park Lane), Kontiki (Banjara Hills), Pearl City (S.P.Road), Alex's Kitchen (Himayatnagar), Shogun (Hyderabad), Chung Hua (Basheerbagh), Schezwan Garden (Hotel Krishna Oberoi, Banjara Hills).

Fast Foods
For somebody looking for a quick and filling snack, there are many western-style fast food joints which offer pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, etc.,

Good Places: Pick 'n' Move (Himayatnagar), Big Mac (S.D. Road), Niralas Open House( Himayatnagar) Prabhat Fast Food (Banjara Hills), Potluck Cafe (Gateway Hotel, Banjara Hills).

There are also several places serving Indian fast foods. For the adventurous, the Punjabi Dhabas ont he outskirts of the city (Hyderabad-Bombay Highway) offer a unique culinary experience. These 'dhabas' are located on open tracts of land with benches and charpoys ( a wooden cot with jute netting) to sit on. These offer the best in Punjabi foods - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

A part from these, there are quite a few places which serve 'chats' (spicy snacks) like samosas, bhelpuri, panipuri, tikki, pav bhaji, etc. Then there are the very visible, very hyderabadi, Irani Hotels, with their glitzy interiors and marble-topped tables. The crowd in almost all these hotels is exclusively male. One can sit in these hotels, for hours on end, with a cup of the spiced tea that is their speciality. The discussions in these hotels may range from philosophy to politics to some of the latest rumours in town!

Desserts
The number of ice cream parlours seems an ever-expanding one, with popular brands such as Kwality, Dollops, Vadilal, Scoops, Yankee-Doodle, Jumani, Go Cool, Funn and many more. Most of these parlours have places to sit and enjoy your ice creams. In addition, the range of sweets and snacks available in the sweet shops - omnipresent in Hyderabad- is bound to make one's head spin.

Good places for sweets: Santosh Sweets (Kingsway), Bombay Halwa (Monda Market, Begumpet), Pulla Reddy (Nampally, Panjagutta), Almond House (Himayatnagar), Balaji Bajrang (Narayanaguda), Madhuban (S.D. Road, Khairtabad)

Pubs
Although many restaurants around the city serve liquor, the pub culture is new to hyderbad - in fact, just over two years old. In the brief period, at least 20 pubs have come up in the city, each having a distinct style. The pubs, the Bier Keller for instance, is designed in the style of a German World War II Nazi bunker! One of the largest pubs is named 10, Downing Street!

Good Places
Bier Keller (S.D. Road), Sailor's Inn (Paradise), Cloud 9 (Begumpet), Oaken Cask (Basheerbagh), Barrel House Street (Panjagutta), Beat Route (Park Lane), Pivot Pub (Punjagutta), Rock Castle (Banjara Hills), 10, Downing Street (S.D. Road), Black Cadilac (R.P.Road).

Paan
No meal in Hyderbad is complete without Paan (betel leaf wrapped around a mixture of betelnut, aniseed, cloves, cardamom, gulkand). There are paan shops, almost one every few metres - quite a few of them an extension of the innumerable Irani Hotels. These shops sell a variety of paans- the most popular being 'Meetha', 'Ram Pyare', 'Meenakshi', etc., Offering paan is a tradition in Hyderabad and most Muslim household still keep the 'Paan - Daan' a specially crafted silver container meant to hold all the ingredients for making paans.

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