Thanks to the Parsi community’s love for good food, their fare has evolved into a much-loved cuisine across India. And while these delicacies have their roots in Persia, they embraced their host-nation’s spices and produce with flavourful delight, making everyone say “Let’s Eat” with glee!

By RISHAD SAAM MEHTA

“When are you getting married? I want to eat some Parsi food.” It’s a question I’m asked often! Why? Because at Parsi weddings, the highlight is almost always the bhonu (food). Essentially, my friends want to hurl me into the realm of marital mayhem just to get a seat at the long dinner tables where delicious meals are ladled out from steaming platters! However, before we get cracking on invites to mouth-watering festive feasts, let’s go back to the beginning.

A SWEET START

Time to rewind to the 8th century! This was the period when, in order to escape religious persecution, a group of people known as the Zoroastrians sailed away from their homeland, Persia. After landing on the shores of the region today known as Gujarat, they eventually met with Jadi Rana, the ruler of a small kingdom there, who refused them asylum. As the story goes, he showed them a bowl of milk filled to the brim, indicating his kingdom was full and had no place for them. The Zoroastrians sprinkled sugar in the milk to indicate that, just as adding the ingredient didn’t cause the milk to overflow and instead sweetened it, they, too, would add to the area’s vibrant culture and help the realm prosper. Impressed, Rana granted them access, as well as freedom to worship as they pleased. And this sweet promise has been upheld by the Parsis (the people from Persia)—as they came to be known—for the last 13 centuries and, hopefully, many more to come.

THE LOVE OF FOOD

These new residents of the Indian subcontinent were well-built, hardy farmers and herders, who toiled the entire day and came home hungry for a hearty meal. And the household’s women rustled up food with aplomb, fortifying their culinary skills with the abundance of spices and herbs that India provided. Back in Persia, the pomegranate was a ubiquitous fruit, and its juice was used to flavour food, giving it a sweet taste as well as some tartness. This culinary trait carries on to this day as khattu-mithu or ‘sweet and sour’. Except that the Parsis adapted with local ingredients: now, the sweetness comes from jaggery and the tartness from sirka (sugarcane vinegar). A true testament to how they’ve comfortably adjusted to indigenous culture and traditions.

EGGS ALL THE WAY

Due to the physical nature of their work in those early days, the food of the Parsis was mostly centred around hearty meals comprising eggs, meat, and flour. This is probably why, even today, the full Parsi breakfast consists of two fried eggs, sunny side up, with the edges of the whites crisped to a sizzling brown hue. These are accompanied by tarelo thikko khatto-mitto kheemo (fried, spicy, sweet-sour mutton mince), crusty-yet-soft brun bread slathered with butter, and cups of tea flavoured with mint and lemon grass. This simple yet scrumptious breakfast formed the cornerstone of Parsi-Irani cafés that sprung up in then-Bombay when the community’s folk moved to the fledgling city in the 1700s at the request of the British who ruled the land. This love extends beyond the first meal of the day. There’s a quick fix in Parsi cooking called ‘anything par eedu’ or ‘eggs on anything’. This works grandly when you have leftover veggies from the previous day—just sauté them and throw an egg or two on top! My personal favourite is fenugreek fried with onions, tomatoes, and spices, with two eggs cracked on top of the greens. This is cooked to a point where the whites have formed but the yolks are still runny. Food bliss! Other picks are salli (deep fried potato straws) par eedu and keema par eedu. We don’t know whether the chicken came first or the egg—but when it comes to the Parsi palate, eggs take ‘first’ place for sure!

MUTTON MAN ON SPEED DIAL

Ask a Parsi man about his favourites and he’ll probably list his mumma (mom), motorcar, music system, and mutton. Jokes apart, the community’s cuisine thrives on mutton and goat organs. Much loved are the bheja na cutlace (brain cutlets), which are goat brains marinated with spices, coated with breadcrumbs, dipped in an egg wash, and fried in ghee. With lacy frills around the edges, they are delicious with thin rotlis (chapattis). Then there are iconic dishes like the jardaloo salli boti, a sweet and tangy mutton curry flavoured with dried apricots and a base of onions, tomatoes, spices, and sirka. Salli is sprinkled over it. Another relished delicacy is khariya (goat trotters or paya). Usually eaten in the winter, Parsis have khariya parties to enjoy this delicacy that is prepared with spices and black-eyed beans. There is an onion and tamarind kachumbar (salad) to go with it and the gravy is usually soaked up with ladi pav (similar to pav bhaji bread), delivered by the local pao-walla (bread man). It’s a meat fest in the truest sense.

PASS THE PULAO, PLEASE

And we can’t forget the hugely popular carb staples. The Parsi pulao is significantly different from biryani. Home chef Perzen Patel puts it perfectly: “The primary flavour in a Parsi pulao comes from the stock and gravy that the meat is prepared in. Since the meat cooks in its own fat and the rice is layered, there’s no need to add oil to blend the masalas and, consequently, the pulao, while meaty and full of flavour, is surprisingly oil-free.” Plus, it’s usually enriched with potatoes, little round mince kebabs, and vertically sliced boiled eggs, and is always served with thick, spicy masala dal. Further, when it comes to indulgent Sunday lunches, one can’t forget the iconic dhansak. It’s put together with mutton (sometimes chicken) and masala dal, and usually savoured with a browned, caramelized rice. Served with kolmi na kavab (shrimp kebabs) and a kachumbar. Delish!

DON’T FORGET THE FISH

Another twist to the legendary interaction with Jadi Rana is that the Parsis actually initially landed in coastal Diu, where they spent 19 years before meeting the king. So, their fondness for fish might have developed during this time. Today prawns and pomfret are intrinsic to the community’s cuisine. The star fish dish at a Parsi wedding feast is usually patra ni macchi (pomfret coated in a chutney made with coriander leaves, mint, green chillies, and coconut, and wrapped in banana leaves and steamed) or saas ni macchi (pomfret simmered in a sweet-and-sour rice flour sauce flavoured with green chillies, cumin, garlic, eggs, sugar, and cane vinegar). For breakfast, Parsis love eating fried boomla (Bombay ducks fried whole in a batter of wheat flour). How a fish came to be called a duck is a story beyond the word-count I have reserved for these notes that you are currently reading!

THE LEGACY OF MILK AND SUGAR

The two ingredients that led to Parsis establishing a permanent base in India still play a tasty role in the community’s fare. Lagan nu custard (a sweet bread-and-butter pudding made with milk) is often served between courses as a palate cleanser at Parsi weddings. They also adore the falooda, concocted with thickened milk, rose syrup, tukmuria (sweet basil seeds), and topped with ice cream. This is usually enjoyed on Navroze, a day-long festival that heralds the beginning of spring in March. Parsis also make their own version of caramel custard with eggs (of course), milk, and cardamom in a pressure cooker. Another unique milk-product is the topli nu paneer (cottage cheese). Wobbly to the touch and mildly salty, it’s served as a roundel of cheese in whey water. So, vegetarians, go ahead and rejoice.

WEDDING BELLS

And now, let’s return to what I started out with: why it’s so important to have an unmarried Parsi friend. When a nuptial invite is sent out, surreptitious efforts are made to determine the caterer and the menu. And rightly so. While scotch and sodas are poured and cocktails shaken, servers scurry out from the kitchen bearing trays of drink-accompaniment snacks. The choice is delectable, to say the least. There are chicken farchas (batter-fried chicken), spiced goat liver, cheese and chicken kebabs, fiery shrimps, and more. Guests sit at dinner tables, with banana leaves laid out for them, as food is served. And then it begins, first comes the man with the ice, and then the server with the drinks (raspberry soda is a popular choice). This is followed by achaar (pickle made of carrots and dry fruits), rotlis, and sarias (crispy-fried sago crackers). These are all precursors to the main meal, which comprises a combination of delicacies on which I have already expounded. The banquet finally ends with ice cream or kulfi. This process is usually repeated thrice! Those who want to go home and to bed early sit down first. In the second sitting are those who have danced and drunk to their hearts’ content, and, at the very end, the group encompasses family and close friends of the bridal party. But whichever phase of the dinner service you choose, you’re sure to leave satisfied, satiated, and delighted. Parsi festivities are like that and it’s largely thanks to the food.

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