Culinary fusion in the Mughal era The Mughal Empire in northern
Hindustan was
Indo-Persian. It had a hybridized, pluralistic
Persianate culture. So, for example,
biryani developed in the royal Mughal kitchens in India, combining the native spicy rice dishes of South Asia with the Persian
pilau style of aromatic garnished rice and the Persian method of
marinating meat in
yoghurt. 's analysis of the origin of biryani. In the
time of the Mughals, specifically the emperor
Akbar, Persian
pilau was adapted to include
Persian-style yoghurt-marinated meat and spicy
Indian styles of cooking rice. A popular culinary work from the Mughal period was the
Nuskha-i-Shahjahani, ("Shah Jahan's Recipes") said to be a record of dishes prepared for the court of the Emperor
Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658). This Persian manuscript has ten chapters, on
nānhā (breads),
āsh-hā (pottages),
qalīya (stews) and
dopiyāza (meat with onions),
bharta (mashed vegetables),
zerbiryān (a kind of layered rice-based dish),
pulāʾo,
kabāb (kebabs),
harīsa (savoury porridge),
shishranga and
ḵẖāgīna (omelette), and
khichṛī (rice with lentils); the final chapter involves
murabbā (jams),
achār (pickles),
pūrī (fried bread),
fhīrīnī (sweets),
ḥalwā (warm pudding), and basic recipes for the preparation of
yoghurt,
panīr (Indian curd cheese) and the colouring of butter and dough. A well-known cookery book from the time of the emperor
Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) or some years later was the
Ḵẖulāṣat-i Mākūlāt u Mashrūbāt ("Compendium of Things Eaten and Drunk"). Each of its 40 chapters covers one type of dish, starting with breads (
naan,
kulcha) and then covering kinds of savoury dishes including
qalīya,
dopiyāza,
bharta,
kabāb,
khichṛī,
zerbiryān, and achār. One chapter covers
sālanhā-i hindī (dishes based on Hindustani sauces).
Western reports of Mughal era cuisine The
Dutch East India Company merchant
Francisco Pelsaert recorded that a wealthy Indian's feast during Jahangir's reign was composed of many dishes for the guests. Meat dishes included
aeshelia (spiced);
dupiyaza (with onion); and roasts. Garnished rice dishes included both
pollaeb (pilau) and
brinj (
biryani). Accompaniments included
zueyla (spiced cakes of wheat). Westerners' reactions to pilau in the 19th century varied. Collingham described pilau as one of the two standard dishes in Central Asian fare (the other being kebabs). The Hungarian linguist
Ármin Vámbéry found pilau excellent. The American diplomat
Eugene Schuyler, on the other hand, called it "pleasant but ... too greasy and insipid".
Edward Terry, British
ambassador to
Jahangir's court (1615–1619), wrote a description of a Mughlai dinner. Fifty different dishes, each in a silver bowl, were set in front of the guests. He noted that the rice was dyed in colours such as purple and green, and much better cooked than in Britain; he remarked that, flavoured with "a little green Ginger and Pepper, and Butter, ... tis very good." As for the meat, it was stewed with herbs, spices, onions, ginger, and butter, creating "a food that is exceedingly pleasing to all Palates": in other words, Collingham writes, a
curry.
Modern era Mughlai In the 20th and 21st centuries, Mughlai cuisine has been adapted by restaurants and roadside food stalls for a
mass market, resulting in a single dish of marinated chicken or meat, cooked in a thick sauce based on tomato or cream, and accompanied by flatbreads or garnished rice dishes. In Britain, the Mughal Emperor
Babur's (r. 1526–1530) chicken tikka (
tandoor-grilled yoghurt-
marinated pieces of chicken meat) was transformed in the late 20th century by the addition of tomato, cream, and spices into
chicken tikka masala. == Cuisine ==