Biryani

Biryani is the love of almost all the non-vegetarians in India. We all that the dish originated in Persia but how did it come to India. According to legends, when Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan's queen visited her army barracks, she felt that the soldiers of the army were undernourished. She decided on providing them with a meal that provides all the nutrients needed by the body. After a long debate, she finally settled for biryani, saying it was a wholesome meal which can be eaten in a single serving. Hence that is how this Persian dish came to the Indian subcontinent. Maybe this why Shah Jahan loved Mumtaz so much! And now we all do. 

Butter Chicken

This interesting dish has an origin equally interesting. The story is that it was first made in a restaurant called Moti Mahal, cooked by Chef Simon Mahil Chahal. It so happened that one night a certain VIP arrived at the restaurant after it was closed down. He desired to have something with chicken. When the chef was informed, he looked at his leftover resources and a little bit of chicken. He mixed in all he had left like tomato, butter, garam masala and the chicken to make this unnamed dish and it was served to the guest who was the ruler of Mareelum. To everyone's surprise, the king really liked it. That is how this lip-smacking dish came into being, by accident. 

Pav Bhaji

Well, it is not so hard to guess where this dish came from. Of course, Mumbai. The tale is that the mill workers preferred having a lighter lunch than a full meal between works as it made them lethargic. Noticing this, a vendor created a new dish with the leftovers from other dishes. Pav replaced the rice or chapati that could be used in other dishes, and various vegetables were put together to make one spicy mixture. This dish became instantly popular among the workers and soon was spread all over the city. So, our favourite delicacy was originally a lunch for workers? 

Samosa

Your ever so favourite snack has an Indian origin, is not really from India. It actually originated in Central Asia. It is believed that it found its way here through the spice route travellers. As carrying a wholesome meal with themselves was a bit tough so the made these little triangles filled with meat mince. It was also easy to prepare on the way. When it came to India the meat mince was replaced by potatoes or other vegetables, as most people here were vegetarian. So, let's thank the Central Asian for bringing our favourite tea snack to us.