HYDERABAD: Come Ramzan and a tantalising aroma wafts through the air of Hyderabad. Almost synonymous with the city, like the majestic Charminar, haleem is a beloved culinary masterpiece, enriched with history and nutrition. In 2010, it was given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, the only meat-prepared dish to get the tag, symbolising that haleem is also a unique cultural experience.
Food historian K T Achaya, in his book, ‘A historical dictionary of Indian food’ describes haleem and harees as, “Items of Middle Eastern origin, consisting of spiced, pasty preparations of ground meat and wheat. They were popular in the Sultanate and Mughal courts (being mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari) and are delicacies among Muslims in Hyderabad and elsewhere.”
A slow-cooked stew made with broken wheat, pounded meat, ghee, select spices and lentils, and garnished with coriander, mint, onions and lemon, haleem has many variants, depending upon the proportion of ingredients and the type of meat used, which provide different textures and consistency to the dish.
“There are several theories on how the dish originated. Some say the dish is a result of a chef’s experiments in an army camp to provide nutritious one-pot meals to the Mughal armies, while some say the dish originates from the bawarchis of the Asaf Jahi rulers of Hyderabad,” says Sibghat Khan from The Deccan Archive Foundation.
“From master chefs to assistants to oven makers and servers, it takes well-coordinated teamwork to make haleem, providing employment to lakhs of people and generating a significant amount of revenue during Ramzan,” he adds. He told CE that special ovens are required to cook haleem, which requires mashing the meat and lentils together into a thick paste. “Originally, these wood-fired ovens, literally called bhattis, were built using red bricks, clay and straw and were dismantled once Ramzan was over. In recent years, the traditional bhattis have been replaced by those of cement and ceramic tiles. However, the locals say that the haleem made in the clay oven carried the taste of the clay and smoke, sticking true to the rustic Dakhni taste palate,” he said.
He further explained how the dish is prepared traditionally: Broken wheat, lentils, whole spices and meat are the primary ingredients of the Hyderabadi haleem, with ghee, fried onions, fresh coriander and mint leaves as garnish. The lentils, broken wheat and other millets are soaked overnight, while a stew is prepared from the meat. The soaked lentils are then added to the stew and mashed together for hours, requiring a lot of manual labour.”
The Hyderabadi version has particularly become popular in the Indian subcontinent. Talking about the popularity of the dish during Ramzan, Khan said, “It is because of the nutritional value for money it provides to the rozedars after a long day of fasting.”
According to food columnist Sabyasachi Roy Chaudhuri, there is a format to test which haleem provides the best experience. “The wheat and meat ratio, smoothness of taste, number of bones in a plate and the amount of ghee and type of spices are all parameters on which a particular haleem is judged,” he said.
Hyderabadi haleem has also become popular with the efforts of outlets spreading it outside the city. “Until a couple of years ago, Pista House used to deliver haleem to other cities, having tied up with a leading courier service company. Paradise has now opened up its branches in other cities,” Chaudhuri concluded.