Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed in the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Indo-Persian cultural centres of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. It represents a combination of

cuisine of the Indian subcontinent Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent includes the cuisines from the Indian subcontinent comprising the traditional cuisines from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Staples and common ingredients Chapati, a ...

with the cooking styles and recipes of

Central Asian Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the form ...

and Islamic cuisine. Mughlai cuisine is strongly influenced by the Turkic cuisine of

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

, the region where the early

Mughal emperors The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...

originally hailed from, and it has in turn strongly influenced the regional cuisines of

Northern India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

. The tastes of Mughlai cuisine vary from extremely mild to spicy, and are often associated with a distinctive

aroma An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sens ...

and the taste of ground and whole spices. A Mughlai course is an elaborate

buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...

of main course dishes with a variety of accompaniments.

History

Although the ruling class and administrative elite of the Mughal Empire could variously identify themselves as ''Turani'' ( Turkic), ''Irani'' ( Persian), ''Shaikhzada'' (

Indian Muslim Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, approximately 172.2 million people identifying as adherents of Islam in 2011 Census. India is also the country with the second or third largest number of Muslim ...

) and Hindu Rajput, the empire itself was

Indo-Persian Indo-Persian culture refers to a cultural synthesis present in the Indian subcontinent. It is characterised by the absorption or integration of Persian aspects into the various cultures of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The earliest introductio ...

, having a hybridized, pluralistic

Persianate A Persianate society is a society that is based on or strongly influenced by the Persian language, culture, literature, art and/or identity. The term "Persianate" is a neologism credited to Marshall Hodgson. In his 1974 book, ''The Venture of I ...

culture. Decorated Indo-Persian cookbooks and culinary manuscripts adorned the personal libraries of the Mughal elite, serving as both culinary guides and for aesthetic value. One example was the ''

Ni'matnama The ''Ni'matnāmah Naṣir al-Dīn Shāhī'' ( Naskh: ; ) (c. 1500) is a medieval Indian cookbook, written in Persian language using Naskh script, of delicacies and recipes, and some accompanying paintings illustrating the preparation of the recipe ...

'', a 15th-century work illustrated with Persian miniatures. This was commissioned by Sultan Ghiyas Shah, a sultan of

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also sy ...

in modern-day

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...

, and features

n dishes such as ''

samosa A samosa () or singara is a fried Indian pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. Sam ...

s'' (fried meat-filled pastry), ''

khichri ''Khichdi'' or ''khichri'' (, , , , Odia: ଖେଚୁଡି) is a dish in South Asian cuisine made of rice and lentils (''dal'') with numerous variations. Variations include ''bajra'' and mung ''dal'' ''khichri''. In Indian culture, in ...

'' (rice and lentils), ''

pilaf Pilaf ( US spelling) or pilau ( UK spelling) is a rice dish, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some techn ...

'' (rice dish), ''seekh'' (skewered meat and fish), ''

kabab Kebab (, ; ar, كباب, link=no, Latn, ar, kabāb, ; tr, kebap, link=no, ) or kabob (North American) is a type of cooked meat dish that originates from cuisines of the Middle East. Many variants of the category are popular around the wor ...

'' (skewered, roasted meat) and '' yakhni (''meat broth''),'' as well as western and southern Indian dishes, such as ''karhi'' (yogurt broth mixed with chickpea flour), ''piccha'' and ''khandvi.'' From the Mughal period itself, one popular culinary work was the ''Nuskha-i-Shahjahani,'' a record of the dishes believed to be prepared for the court of Emperor Shahjahan (r.1627-1658). This Persian manuscript features ten chapters, on '' nānhā'' (breads), ''āsh-hā'' (pottages), ''qalīyas'' and '' dopiyāzas'' (dressed meat dishes), ''bhartas'', ''zerbiryāns'' (a kind of layered rice-based dish), '' pulāʾo'', ''kabābs'', ''harīsas'' (savoury porridge), ''shishrangas'' and ''ḵẖāgīnas'' (omelette), and ''khichṛī;'' the final chapter involves ''murabbā'' (jams), ''achār'' (pickles), '' pūrī'' (fried bread), ''fhīrīnī'' (sweets), '' ḥalwā'' (warm pudding), and basic recipes for the preparation of

yoghurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bact ...

, '' panīr'' (Indian curd cheese) and the coloring of butter and dough. Another famous textbook was ''Ḵẖulāṣat-i Mākūlāt u Mashrūbāt,'' perhaps dating to the era of the emperor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

(r. 1656–1707), while another was ''Alwān-i Niʿmat,'' a work dedicated solely to sweetmeats. Divya Narayanan writes:

These include varieties of sweet breads such as ''nān ḵẖatā̤ʾī'' (crisp bread, like a biscuit), sweet ''pūrīs'', sweet ''samosas'' (or ''saṃbosas''), ''laḍḍū'' and ''ḥalwā''. The cookbook introduces each recipe with a line of praise: for instance ''saṃbosa-i yak tuhī dam dāda'' (''samosa'' with a pocket cooked on ''dam'') is declared as being ‘among the famous and well-known sweets; ''pūrī dam dāda bādāmī'' (almond ''pūrīs'' cooked on ''dam'') is said to be ‘among the delicious and excellent sweetmeats, and ''nān ḵẖatā̤ʾī bādāmī'' (almond ''nān ḵẖatā̤ʾī'') is noted for being ‘among the rare and delicious recipes.

There are even many commonalities between Indo-Persian cookbooks used at the Mughal court and contemporary culinary works from

Safavid Iran Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

, such as the ''Kārnāma dar bāb-i T̤abāḵẖī wa ṣanʿat-i ān'' (Manual on Dishes and their Preparation) of Ḥājī Muḥammad ʿAlī Bāwarchī Bag̱ẖdādī. Mughlai cuisine is renowned for the richness and aromaticity of the meals due to extensive use of spices like saffron, cardamom, black pepper, dry fruits and nuts, as well as rich cream, milk and butter in preparation of curry bases. This has influenced the development of North Indian cuisine.

List of Mughlai dishes

Kolkata biryani Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerci ...

* Mutton/chicken chap * Mutton/chicken pasinda *

Hyderabadi biryani Hyderabadi biryani (also known as Hyderabadi dum biryani) is a style of biryani from Hyderabad, India made with basmati rice and meat (mostly mutton). Originating in the kitchens of the Nizam of Hyderabad, it combines elements of Hyderabadi an ...

* Haleem * Khichda *

Korma Korma or qorma (; ; ) is a dish originating in Indian subcontinent, consisting of meat or vegetables braised with yogurt ( dahi), water or stock, and spices to produce a thick sauce or gravy. Etymology The English name is an anglicisation of Hind ...

* Nihari * South Asian pilaf (first introduced by the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

) *

Bakarkhani Bakarkhani or Baqarkhani, also known as bakar khani roti, is a thick, spiced flat-bread that is part of the Mughlai cuisine. Bakarkhani is prepared on certain Muslim religious festivals and is now popular as sweet bread. Bakorkhani is almost ...

Baklava Baklava (, or ; ota, باقلوا ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine. The pre- Ottoman origin of t ...

* Lucknowi biryani *

Aloo gosht Aloo gosht ( hi, आलू गोश्त, ur}, bn, আলু গোশ্ত ''Alu göshto'', as, আলু গোছ ''Alu güs'') is a meat curry, and is a popular dish in North Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine. It consists o ...

(lamb/mutton and potato curry) * Qeema matar (ground-lamb and pea curry) * South Asian kofta *

Shahi paneer Shahi paneer is a preparation of paneer, native to the Indian subcontinent, consisting of a thick gravy of cream, tomatoes and Indian spices. Originating with the creamy delicacies of Mughlai cuisine (hence the term "''shahi''", in reference ...

* Shorba * South Asian kebab (first introduced during Delhi Sultanate): ** Galawati kebab (soft, tender patty-like kebab first prepared by Haji Murad Ali of Lucknow) ** Bihari kebab (meat-chunks roasted in open flame) ** Kakori kebab (first prepared in Uttar Pradesh, India) **

Chapli kebab Chapli Kebab or Chapli Kabab ( ps, چپلي کباب) is a Pashtun-style minced kebab, usually made from ground beef, mutton or chicken with various spices in the shape of a patty. The Chapli Kabab originally comes from the northern areas o ...

(first prepared by Pashtuns in the northwest frontier of India) ** Kalmi kebab ** Seekh kebab **

Shami kebab Shami kabab or shaami kabab is a local variety of kebab, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It a popular dish in modern-day Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines. It is composed of a small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but o ...

(first prepared by Syrian cooks in the Mughal era, "Shami" denoting their Syrian origin) ** Shikampur kebab (native to Hyderabad, India) ** Murgir kebab **

Tunde ke kabab Tunde Ke Kabab, also known as Buffalo meat galouti kebab, is a dish made out of minced meat which is popular in Lucknow, India. It is part of Awadhi cuisine. It is said to incorporate 160 spices. Ingredients include finely minced Goat meat, plai ...

Mughlai paratha Mughlai paratha ( bn, মোগলাই পরোটা, Moglai pôroṭa) is a popular Bengali street food which is believed to have originated in Bengal Subah during the time of Mughal Empire as a derivative of the Turkish Gözleme. The dish is ...

* Murgh musallam *

Pasanda Pasanda ( ur, , hi, पसन्दा), also called Parche ( ur, پارچے, hi, पारचे), is a popular dish from the Indian subcontinent, notably North India, Rampur, Hyderabadi and Pakistani, derived from a meal served in the ...

Shwarma Shawarma (; ar, شاورما) is a popular Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat cut into thin slices, stacked in a cone-like shape, and roasted on a slowly-turning vertical rotisserie or spit. Traditional ...

* Chicken tikka * Rezala (introduced to Bengal by the Mughlai sovereigns of Awadh and Mysore) *

Paneer tikka Paneer tikka is an Indian dish made from chunks of paneer marinated in spices and grilled in a tandoor. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other meat dishes. It is a popular dish that is widely available in India and countries w ...

Desserts

Phirni Kheer, also known as payasam, is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur w ...

* Gulab jamun *

Jalebi ''Jalebi'' (, , , Urdu: جلیبی‎, , , si, පැණි වළලු, ), is a popular sweet snack in south and west Asia, Africa, and Mauritius. It goes by many names, including ''jilapi'', ''zelepi'','' jilebi'', '' jilipi'', ''zulbia'', ...

Falooda A ''falooda'' is a Mughlai Indian version of a cold dessert made with noodles. It has origins in the Persian dish '' faloodeh'', variants of which are found across West, Central, and South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, ...

* South Asian halwa * South Asian seviyan (prepared with milk, clarified butter,

vermicelli Vermicelli (; , , also , ) is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker. The term ''vermicelli'' is also used ...

, rose-water and almonds) *

Sharbat Sharbat ( fa, شربت, ; also transliterated as ''shorbot'', ''šerbet'' or ''sherbet'') is a drink prepared from fruit or flower petals. It is a sweet cordial, and usually served chilled. It can be served in concentrated form and eaten with ...

Kulfi Kulfi () ( fa, ) is a frozen dairy dessert originating in the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal era in the 16th century. It is often described as "traditional Indian ice cream". Kulfi is a traditional sweet of the Indian subcontinent, wher ...

Barfi Barfi, barfee, borfi or burfi is a dense milk-based sweet from the Indian subcontinent. The name comes from the Hindustani (originally Persian) word ''barf'', which means snow. Common types of barfi include ''besan barfi'' (made with gram flou ...

(derived from the Persian word for 'snow/ice') * Firni ** Kesari firni (rice-based sweet dish streaked with saffron) ** Bedami firni (rice-based sweet dish with almonds) * Shahi tukra (rich bread pudding with dry fruits and flavored with cardamom) *

Sheer khurma Sheer khurma or sheer khorma ( fa, , shîr xormâ "milk and dates") is a festival vermicelli pudding prepared by Muslims on Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and parts of Central Asia. It is a traditional Muslim fes ...

* Several varieties of indigenous

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

es were cherished and cultivated by the Mughal court.

References

External links

Mughlai Recipes

Mughal Emperors' Food
{{Cuisine of India Mughlai cuisine, Indian cuisine Uzbekistani cuisine Indian cuisine by culture North Indian cuisine Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Awadhi cuisine Pakistani cuisine Punjabi cuisine Sindhi cuisine Bangladeshi cuisine Bihari cuisine

History

List of Mughlai dishes

Desserts

See also

References

Further reading

External links