LIMELIGHT AND BEYOND
When I think of the city Aurangabad, the things that come to my mind are the narrow lanes with roadside stalls, the brightly lit up local restaurants, the sound of meat sizzling on huge tawa stalls, the typical aroma of mughlai food. The Mughal influence is so dominant on this city that the very thought of this place paints a picture of the Muslim cult residing here, their culture and lifestyle. Every food journalist that comes to this city to explore its local cuisine is tempted into an involvement with the ever famous dish ‘’Naan Qalia’’ which has its roots embedded so deep that its story starts way back into the time when the Mughals shifted their capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in the thirteenth century. Naan Qalia has great historical significance and has somehow become the equivalent to the cover page model if local food of Aurangabad were a fashion magazine. Naan Qalia was designed by the cooks of those days to feed a large army that was travelling to Daulatabad from Delhi so it needed to be nutritious and wholesome. Naan is a yellow, puffy looking bread which is served with a thick, rich and spicy gravy made of minced meat which is most of the times beef and the locally available spices. In modern times also Naan Qalia is the most sought after dish In Muslim weddings and functions. Every local chef has his personal touch to the dish and it’s a secret that they guard fiercely. Abdul Jabbar is one such person whom I came across and met when I was looking for a place where I could taste authentic Naan Qalia. He is a caterer and has a small establishment in an area called Buddhi lane. Making Naan Qalia has been his family business for fifty years. He was overwhelmed with the fact that he was being recognized for his work. The kind of boost words of appreciation give to small time caterers is amazing. They take immense pride in their work. The Nizam of Hyderabad ruled over the Deccan region post Aurangzeb which explains the Hyderabadi Muslim culture in Aurangabad. The food which we think is native to Aurangabad in fact originates from Hyderabad. The use of typically south Indian ingredients like coconut and tamarind in gravies is all because of the influx of the Hyderabad population in Aurangabad. However there is more to traditional Aurangabad food than just Naan Qalia. The majority of people living in Aurangabad are Hindu’s mostly Maharahtrians or Marathas. Hence we cannot overlook the Marathawada cuisine or Deccan cuisine of the region that is a part of Aurangabad’s culture as well which most of the time we don’t think of. It might just fall on your blind spot if you picture the local food and culture. There is a close connection between Hyderabadi and the Deccani cuisine as well. They took what suited them and incorporated it in their own traditional recipes. One of the most relished dishes is ‘’gavran chicken’’ which is country chicken cooked in a thin watery gravy. Most of the Maratha dishes including gavran chicken use a special spice mix called ‘’goda masala’’ which is a blend of lichen, cumin seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf, peppercorns, coconut flakes and sesame seeds roasted in oil. “Pithla-bhakri” is another dish that is very close to the heart of the Maratha population. Pithla is a thick yellow coloured mixture made with chick pea flour and the bhakri that goes along with it is flat bread made with locally available grains for example bajra. The traditional accompaniment for this dish is called “thecha” which is a course paste made of green chilies. It is extremely pungent, is on the salty side and can make a person eating this feel like their ears are fuming especially if they do not have a palate for it.But goes extremely well with “pithla-bhakri” which is a mildly flavoured dish as compared to the other Maratha dishes which have a spicy and robust north Indian flavour. The decanni cuisine swears by finely grounded spice blends. This is one of the aspects in which Maratha food differs from mughlai. The latter mostly has its spices coarsely ground so as to add texture to its gravies. This city where on one hand there is this hardcore meat loving Muslim folk on the other hand are the Maratha’s who have completely different religious beliefs and lifestyle indulging in similar type of food habits. There is perfect harmony between these two cults that are poles apart religion wise, all of this owing to the love they share for the local food. It’s the close connection between mughlai, hyderabadi and deccani food that keeps the spirit of this city alive and in the limelight. These three cuisines are almost synonyms for each other. This city’s food is symbolic to the string of a garland of diverse flowers which is holding them together.