Biryani is one of the most sumptuous, mouth-watering dishes that ever came out of the Mughal kitchens. In its original form, Biryani descends from the old Arab world. Biryani is prepared by cooking rice in spice, yogurt and meat gravy.

In India, the terms Pullao, tehri and biryani are sometimes, used interchangeably. The main difference is that while making pullao, the vegetable (s) and rice are cooked together. But in Biryani, meat is cooked separately and then rice is added. Another version of Biryani, tehri, is cooked in north Indian households. It is actually a vegetable & rice meal; generally cooked when a meal has to be prepared in a short time.

A Biryani connoisseur?s blood will surely boil by this comparison. Biryani is too sophisticated a dish to be compared to tehri, which in its best form is rice with spices and vegetables made to taste better with accompaniments such as raita, aalu bharta, achar and papad. In India itself, there are many versions of Biryani; most popular being Hyderabadi and Awadhi Biryani. Saffron is used in Awadhi Biryani to impart it a unique flavour and colour. Hyderabadi Biryani is spicier than its Awadhi counterpart.

The Asian sub-continent relishes Biryani in one form of the other. Pakistani & Bangladeshi Biryani is similar to what is cooked in India. In Bangladesh, it is a compulsory dish in a wedding celebration. Bangladeshi cooks have played a great role in making Biryani a very popular dish in the Great Britain. In Myanmar, Biryani is known as danpauk. Locally grown rice is used for the preparation. Thai Muslims prepare it with local ingredients.

The legacy of the Mughal Empire in the Indian context can be debated forever. But had it not been for them, food connoisseurs would have been deprived of one great dish.