Nihari

Precursors

According to the Sushruta Samhita, lightly spiced meat broth using vida salt, zeera and asafoetida was highly rated in ancient India.

Modern dish

According to many sources, Nihari either originated in Hyderabad or Old Delhi in the late 18th century during the last throes of the Mughal Empire or in the royal kitchens of Awadh, in modern-day Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Nihari developed with the overall cuisine of Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It has been an old popular delicacy in parts of Bangladesh, particularly Dhaka and Chittagong. People cooked it for one whole night and they got it in the early morning at sunrise. The dish is known for its spiciness and taste. It was originally more of a delicacy with myriad variations on spiciness and texture.

Popularity

Nihari is a traditional dish of Muslims of Delhi, Bhopal and Lucknow. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, many Urdu speaking Muslims from northern India migrated to Karachi and Dhaka, and established restaurants. In Karachi, Nihari became a roaring success and soon all over Pakistan. Now Nihari is available in Pakistani restaurants around the world.

In some restaurants, a few kilos from each day's leftover Nihari is added to the next day's pot. This re-used portion of Nihari is called taar and is believed to provide the unique flavor. Some Nihari outlets in old Delhi boast of an unbroken taar going back more than a century.