The most exciting journey into the history of the country's capital, with stories as delicious as its food, we go on the discovery of the roots of one of India's most loved culinary cultures and discover them in Persian, Mughal, and English food traditions. Delhi's history is the story of those Sultans who brought with them architectural design which is still an integral part of Delhi. It is the story of those Persian traders who gave not only silk but their food traditions to the markets of Delhi. It is the story of those Englishmen who taught us their culinary skills. In 1794, Nadir Shah looted Delhi through every street and lane but one thing that even Nadir Shah couldn't take away was the taste of cuisine.
The contemporary Delhi is composed of layers of seven different cities. Chandni Chowk, which was once the glory of Delhi, is bearing the legacy of history and culture that Delhi herself has forgotten. The name Delhi means 'dehliz' or threshold and Delhi has been the heart of India. Her history is thousand years old and Delhi was founded seven times and was destroyed seven times. This is quite evident in her cuisine. The food here was influenced by the cuisines of the Chauhans, Rajputs, Jats, and Gujjars. When Sultanate was established, Turkish and Afghan food came here. During the Mughal reign, Persian food influenced the local cuisine. The impact of different cultures led to the growth of a multi-dimensional cosmopolitan culture. For thousand years, Delhi has been the capital of one empire or the other. Delhi utilised this in the way that the best of food and clothing always arrived here first for the royals from within and outside the country. In different areas of Delhi, we find the food of the people who have come from different geographical terrains and cultures. And that is because the people who have left their hometowns can connect the memories associated with the food they eat.
The food of Delhi is famous throughout the country for its spicy and tangy taste. But there is an interesting story behind this spicy and oily food as well. The waters of the Yamuna was not potable even at the times of Mughals. When Shah Jahan shifted his capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad, his personal physician or 'haqim' was not delighted by this decision. He said that the water of Yamuna was not potable and everybody would die. Shah Jahan said, he couldn't desert the newly established capital now and go back to Agra and asked for a solution. Physician suggested to eat very spicy food but eating very spicy continuously would cause more complications. So, a lot of ghee should should be used for greasiness, so that it can resist the side effects of the spices. This led the non-vegetarians to use more spices and butter. But vegetarians were also there, so they started preparing 'Chaat' using a lot of chillies, sourness and spices and a range of vegetarian dishes were developed. This is how Delhi's famous Chaat developed, now whose admirers come from far-off places to relish it. Even today the lanes of Shahjahanabad has preserved a variety of mouth watering chaats.
In these streets and lanes, the hawkers of Delhi have kept the trend of eatery from the seventeenth century and now they have become the soul of the Delhi's streets. The streets of Delhi have a very important place in the life of Delhi. It kept Delhi's spirit alive despite all the chaos and commotion. It was literally a movable feast as the hawkers used to sell their dishes with the stand slung over their shoulders. These chaat and kebaab sellers have significantly influenced the taste of Delhi's cuisine. The food lore of Delhi still carries the stories of Masita, Ghummi (the kebaab seller) and the sweets of Ghantewala. This tradition to eat fresh and delicious, which is prepared with patience, still continues to live on in Delhi. The streets of Delhi, the chaat dishes and their spicy taste has been an integral part of Delhi's social life.
The 'Golgappe' of Old Delhi have a unique taste, which contains a tangy flavour of tamarind and the spicy flavour of mint water. A dish called'Phulkis', which looked similar to 'Golgappe' were available two thousand years ago as well, during Maurya empire and it is considered thal 'Golgappe' emerged from these 'Phulkis'. And at every chaat stall, 'Golgappe' is accompanied by 'Dahi Bhalle'. 'Kalmi Vade' and 'Aloo Kachori'. Every city during the Mughals had a team of cooks who had their own speciality. Chaat was created at the four gates of Delhi namely The Turkman Gate, The Kashmere Gate, The Ajmeri Gate and The Lahori Gate and it went out to the whole country. Out of all of these, one stall which is found at every nook and corner and popular among all Delhites is 'Bedmi Aloo'. 'Bedmi' looks like 'Poori' but its composition and preparation is different from 'Poori'. It is made of thick flour and its filling is made of black gram.
This complex network of lanes is a treasure of sweets as well. Whether it is the 200 years old Ghantewala confectioner or the Gulab Jamun and Rabdi Faluda sold near Fatehpuri Masjid or the fruit cream available below the Seeshganj Gurudwara. Delhites loves sweets as much as chaat. Some like Kebab, Korma and Pasanda whereas some cann't eat without sweets. The tradition of sweets comes from Vrindavan and Mathura, the place renowned for Rabdi, milk, cream and sugar candies. From Diwali to Holi, when it's winter in Delhi, there is one sweet chaat available here known as 'Daulat's Chaat'. This chaat is prepared by leaving a mixture of milk cream and milk solids on the rooftop overnight. The cold winds of winter gives it a light and foamy texture such that it melts the moment it touches the tongue. Before independence, a man named Daulat used to sell it here, so it was named 'Daulat's Chaat' in his memory. Delhi's renowned 'Parantha Street' is the first stop for tourists and food shows. The speciality of this street is in the ancestral shops that offer around forty types of paranthas. One interesting fact is that the paranthas here are not cooked over the griddle instead they are fried in organic ghee.
Undoubtedly, the walls of four hundred years old city hold an array of tastesthat it is difficult to compare any other city to it. When Shahjahan established Shahjahanabad, he visualised Delhi as a miniature of the world. The food and culture of Delhi got a new identity when in 1639, the Mughal empire returned from Agra to Delhi. The aroma of Nihari being cooked slowly on coal, used to fill the streets adjacent to Jama Masjid. The Nihari cooked in a brass vessel overnight was born in the streets of 'Mathiya Mahal' around four hundred years ago. After Shahjahanabad was established, the vegetarians invented 'Chaat' and the non-vegetarians invented 'Nihari' to protect themselves from the effect of the Yamuna's water. Nihari was prepared keeping in mind the poor, who couldn't afford clarified butter. In it, the meat gets cooked in the animal's own fat. The different types of rotis like 'Khamiri roti' or 'Tandoori Roti' or 'Rumali Roti' enhances the taste of 'Nihari'. The streets of 'Mathiya Mahal' is the museus for food lovers. Shahjahanabad saw thye confluence of these two areas: one adjacent to Jama Masjid, the Kebab Street and the other one at Chandni Chowk, the street of silversmiths. Unfortunately, the small golden chance that we had didn't last long. Aurengzeb rebelled against his father, Shahjahan, imprisoned him and sent him back to Agra. While he himself spent most of his life in Daulatabad and the Deccan to conquer it. So, Delhi was almost destroyed in a way after Shahjahanabad and till the time the British brought the capital back to Delhi.
Today, the streets of 'Mathiya Mahal' is dotted with sewaiyan, sheekh kebab, shammi kebab and many varieties of sweets. The most popular and high-selling dish here is 'Mutton Stew'. It is the Anglo-Indian brother of the English recipe 'Vegetable Stew'. The first English resident of Delhi, David Ochterlony embraced the lifestyle of the Mughals and the Nawabs. He used to dress himelf in the traditional Mughal attire and a long robe. He had an Indian chef also. The chef noticed that they chop everything up and boil in water by covering it. Then they serve it, sprinkle salt, pepper, squeeze a lemon and eat it, which they called as 'Stew'. Now it is prepared in Delhi as 'Eshtu', which uses the same principle but by cooking meat in a lot of clarified butter, spice, vegetables and curd. Tandoori roti is ate alongwith 'eshtu'. There is a wide variety of breads that are prepared in the tandoor. In Old Delhi, roti is made from leavened dough, which uses yeast as raising agent. It swells up and is slightly sour. All the breads prepared in tandoor have yeast in them. The practice of adding yeast to leaven the dough is four thousand years old, which was started in Egypt. The leavened bread reached India around the 13th century with the people coming in from Central Asia. If the dough is kneaded with milk, the bread is known as milk bread, which is very soft. There on, there is a complete category of breads, which are prepared by kneading dough with different proportions of clarified butter, sugar and milk. That's how Bakhar Khani, Sheermal and Kulcha are made. The Mughal cuisine of Delhi is supplied with its spices from Khari Baoli, which is one of the biggest spice market. This market was established by Sher Shah Suri's son in 1551 and the foundation of Shahjahanabad boosted the spice trade here. This market was close to Lahori Gate, through which traders from Lahore and Afghanistan entered Delhi.
A city named Indraprastha is mentioned in the Mahabharata. It is said that the settlement was situated at the place where we find the present day ruins of the Old Fort. When this site was excavated, painted potterydating back to 4000 BC were found. It provides an evidence for a settlement here that is dated back to 4000 BC. That means the Indraprastha mentioned in the Mahabharata did exist and it makes Delhi one of the oldest cities in the world. Evacuation also showed that those lived in Indraprastha ate berries and dates around five thousand years ago. Wheat and Sorghum were eatenin combination with pulses like gram, black gram and green gram. There were no restrictions on non-vegetarian diet in those days. Many varieties of meat such as goat, cattle, patridge and quails were widely consumed in this period. They were also familiar with the concept of distillation. A type of liquor called Sura was available in the Indus Valley period. Many thousand years pass since and in 1000 AD, this place was ruled by the Tomars and Chauhans. The story of Prithviraj and Sanyogita is a part of local legend. The Turks and Afghans defeated Prithviraj in the Battle of Tarain. Then the era of Sultanate started. The food, clothing and culture of Delhi gained a different flavour from the Turkish and Afghan influence. From the Sultanate in Delhi, Muslim culture influenced India, which left a lasting impression on the food here. Pit-roasting method of cooking was brought to India by the Muslims of Central Asia. Renowned traveller Ibn-E-Batuta has also written in detail about the food of Delhi Sultanate. In those days, rice was stored between the fort walls for 50 to 90 years before being consumed. It did turn the rice black but its taste was enhanced. There was mention of a beer known as 'Fukka', which was prepared from barley. There was also mention of many public and private dinners where Mutton, Patridge, Quails, Biryani, Naan, Samosa, Paan and Jaggery were eaten. Samosa that are served hot with tea, was invented in Delhi. In the 14th century, Amir Khusrau mentioned samosas filled with meat, clarified butter and onions that were prepared in the streets of Delhi. Samosa is also mentioned in the Ain-I-Akbari. Vegetarians started stuffing samosas with potatoes instead of meat. This potato has arrived just 300 years ago and since then, it has been the staple filling in samosa. As far as Jalebi is concerned, its story is as twisted as its shape. It is prepared from a paste of black gram and rice in South India whereas in North India, it is prepared from a batter of gram flour. Many texts from the 15th and 16th centuries mention the Jalebi. Jalebi came to India from Arab countries around 1000 years ago, where it was known as 'Zalebia'. Whereever its origin might be, the sweetness of Jalebi binds all of India.
Even today, the living form of the Delhi Sultanate can be seen at Nizamuddin, the place where the tomb of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya is situated. The reason for which this place was once famous was that there was nothing that this place lacked.
The feast that was spread out here everyday remained the same as it was served by the royal kitchen of Sultan Allauddin Khilji. Nizamuddin used to distribute all that he got everyday and a 24-hour feast was served there. However, the food served here was not a part of cuisine as it was served for the purpose of charity. A cuisine is esentially a system of food that develops over a long period of time due to modification in preparation techniques and ingredients at different times. After Aurangzeb's demise, the fame of Delhi cuisine declined alongwith the Mughal empire. But when a big glass shatters, many small pieces are formed. A blend of Awadhi, Nizami and Rampuri cuisines were born after the decline of the Mughal cuisine, which were offshoots of Mughal cuisine. Whenever there was trouble and chaos in Delhi, whether loot by Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah Abdali's attack or the 1857 Uprising, artists and chefs would flee from Delhi to Awadh, Rampur or Hyderabad for refuge.
The story of Mughal cuisine is like the lamp whose flame is intact but the oil in the lamp has been burnt up. These foods remind us of a forgotten past when a stream used to flow instead of the road and the moonlight used to blend into it such that it appeared to be like silver overflowing from a furnace. If we talk about the food here, the spice of Chaat reminds us of the royal physician, who gave a new identity to our food. The ruins of the Old Fort bear legacy of the history of Indraprastha. The Rogan and the Jalebis nurture stories of traders who came to Delhi. The leavened bread rises to highten the glory of Sultanate. The slow flame of the grill and the holy Nizamuddin bring prayers to life of those who received food here.