Biriyani With A Side of Bias

 It's getting foggy and cold these days. There you go, everybody. I've managed to sum up every North Indian city's weather in a sentence. Jokes aside, the weather seems to be having the time of its life. Us humans, on the other hand? Not so much. Jerks are still jerks, nice people are still nice people who get ripped off, and Calcutta biriyani is still amazing. I wish there were only two truths in that sentence, but all are true. Especially number 3. 

I've noticed something about food. Whenever a kind of food comes up in a conversation, people immediately insist that the version found in their hometown or at their home is the best. It becomes really personal really fast. Like momos. Or maybe golgappe, or phuchka. (I'm from Calcutta, so I'll say phuchka- no contest there) With momos, the momos themselves are important, but they're only half the story. Much like Virus and Chatur in '3 Idiots', the supporting role played by the chutney cannot be exaggerated. The spiciness, texture and sweetness of the chutney is what ultimately seals the deal. 

Now we come to biriyani. For those who don't already know, biriyani may be from three different places: Lucknow, Hyderabad, or Calcutta. Hyderabadi biriyani is quite a bit different from the Lucknow variant, I think even the spices used are different. I can't be too sure of this, as I'm not the chef making it. There is only one point of difference between the Lucknow and Calcutta biriyani variants, and it is oh-so-important.

The difference can be eaten in many ways, shapes, forms and sizes. It can even be drunk. I refer, of course, to Senor Potato here. Calcutta biriyani is the only biriyani which has potatoes served with the rice, and at the risk of repeating myself for the millionth time, it tastes too good. It's fried and boiled soft enough to be squishy without becoming gooey- that alone is a feat. There's actually a bit of interesting history here. 

When Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow (then Oudh or Awadh) was exiled to Calcutta, he was kept on a diet of biriyani (the Lucknow variant). However, as they began to run short on funds and it became difficult to procure meat, the cook began to put potatoes in the rice so that it would still be a somewhat substantial meal. It is often the fixer-uppers in life that become the best changes anyone could have imagined, and this applies particularly to food. 

There might be a bit of factual inaccuracy involved in this tale, but it makes a good story nonetheless. Sometimes, the story ought to be appreciated for more than the facts. Facts are important, but they're not the only thing. Anyways, back to food. 

Calcutta street food is one of the best you can find anywhere in the world, and there are a couple of reasons for this. For one, the quality of food, in general, remains independent of the price. You can have excellent food for an extremely pocket-friendly rate, without having to bother about acidity or any of the accompanying unpleasantness. Obviously, the greater the price, the better the food, but you won't find enough food for an entire meal at the price you can find in Calcutta. 

For the simplest example, consider the roll. For non-Calcuttans, I am referring to the "kathi" roll. I am yet to find a roll as filling as that of Calcutta, with actual chicken. That too, below 50 bucks. It's not that the shops in Calcutta are doing this as part of a gimmick- that's just what the prices are. Once you get used to Calcutta, food elsewhere will seem more expensive, and that's the gospel truth. 

If there is one major reason why people in other metropolitan cities are more buff or muscular than those found in Calcutta, it's probably because of this. The food there is just too expensive, while the food here is just as good, only it doesn't leave your pocket with a humongous hole in it. Once again, there is a lot of bias in today's post, but don't hold that against me. I love the food elsewhere too, there's no doubt about it. I just love Calcutta more. 

The evening today has been nice, I must admit. Biriyani and phuchka can do that to a person's mood. Add the albums from 'Rock On' and 'Jab We Met', and you have yourselves a wonderfully nostalgic evening. Not exactly Bengali songs, but the nostalgia is frightfully familiar and comforting. 

I suppose that is it for today. Unlike other posts, I won't be drawing a parallel between people and food here. Not because I've been talking about food today, but because I've been talking about Calcutta food and I don't want to bring people into it. Sometimes, that's needed. Adios!