No such thing as a Pakistani, Indian or Japanese biryani

I see people branding biryani to countries or large tracts of geographical locations: Pakistani biryani, Indian biryani, Hyderabadi biryani, etc. Bismillah is often mentioned as Pakistani biryani by our competitors. I’d like to think that a rose is a rose by any other name. Biryani was not born in the Indian subcontinent, nor did it migrate later, after the creation of these two countries, to yet another region. Different locales have had their influences on this centuries-old, most flavourful rice dish, but none can claim it as theirs in its entirety.

The Indian subcontinent, made up of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, has a population of 1.8 billion people, making it one of the world’s most populous regions. It has embraced biryani and its nuances, wherever it is prepared with love.

It is no longer just a rice dish but a bundle of sheer joy. It moves the human spirit.

So, there is just biryani, either the best or poorly produced. Must be dum or slow cooked.