Think you know the name origins of these Indian foods? | #144
Also, India's first gay film 🏳️🌈
Mitron,
A hot dog is sometimes not hot and is certainly not a dog. Buffalo wings have nothing to do with Buffaloes. French Fries were most certainly not invented by the French. Brussels Sprouts have very little to do with anything Belgian. Food name origins are always interesting and many of them are complete misnomers.
This week we debate about culinary linguistics in Indian food (Another misnomer - what exactly is Indian food?) and serve you some interesting stories about them.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
The first step in preparing a biryani would be to heat some oil or butter and throw in some shahi jeera and wait for the seeds to crackle. Shahi jeera is considered darker and a sweeter form of the cumin and provides a nice flavour to any biryani. But despite the name, it has nothing to do with Royalty. Its original name was ‘Syah’ Jeera - Syah means black in Urdu. But over time, Syah became Shahi. We classify this fact as a cumin interest story.
If there is a king of misnomers, then it is the Bombay Duck. It is not even a duck and wasn’t even in demand in Bombay. Ajit Agarkar would have wanted this dish to have never existed. But the name itself is quite interesting. It is said that the name was given by that towering monument to Imperialism - Robert Clive. The fish which was caught in Bombay, would be sent in trains to Calcutta and these trains would be called Bombay Daak and Clive apparently hated the pungent smell from these trains. Hence Bombay Daak over time became Bombay Duck. We have an inkling that the smell of Bombay Duck made Robert Clive say W T F.
Navratan Korma - the king of curries, the sultan of spices, the champion of chickpeas! This dish has it all - a medley of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and paneer, all swimming in a creamy sauce that's fit for Akbar….? False. It was just a smart restaurateur’s way of giving a Mughlai touch to a mixed vegetable curry. Kormas, especially during the Mughal era, were generally non-vegetarian dishes, and it wouldn’t be the first time someone mixed 9 vegetables in a dish during Akbar’s era. Next time someone claims that this dish has Mughlai origins, call the korma police.
From IWTK, with love 💌
The Greeks are obsessed with the Indian actress Madhubala. Learn more about why here.
Do you know about India’s first gay film Badnaam Basti? Learn more here.
Only In India 🇮🇳
What are three words that’ll ruin your appetite?
”Dairy Milk Omelette”
And even if it is a misnomer, we do not want to try it.
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❤️ IWTK