Parsi cuisine – a melting pot of culinary traditions

History is all about invasion and migration. People have sailed the seas and crossed the deserts for safer and newer worlds. Common to all this human activity despite adversities is the daily ritual of dining.

One such community who traversed the deserts of Persia to touch the western coasts of India 1,200 years ago were the Parsis. The Parsi cuisine is interesting in that it’s an improvisation of several styles...of influences from Iran, Britain and Portugal in combination with borrowings from Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Parsi cuisine today has evolved from these cultures to form an identity of its own.

The Parsis love their food in an equal measure of what’s sweet and spicy. While the strong Persian influence is behind the choice of meat and dry fruits in almost all dishes, the British fondness for sauces and puddings crept into Parsi kitchens too. They are experts in turning out some of the finest puddings. Another prominent influence was that of the Portuguese. Much before the British landed in India, it was the Portuguese presence in Surat and other places that led to this infiltration of foreign flavours. The Portuguese love brinjal and one such egg plant-based popular Parsi dish, the Verganano Patio, is a close clone of the western dish.

Coconut is another integral ingredient in Parsi cuisine. Researchers say the community knew what fish was only after they landed in India. Fish, in the Persian desert, was an alien food item.

The Parsis love to cook and the kitchen is their favourite haunt. The longer in the kitchen, the happier they are. Give them any dish in its original form, the Parsi will change its identity and give to it a “khatta meetha” twist. They turn it either sweet or sour!

A bit of sugar and a few spoons of vinegar are a must in all dishes. Eggs are the next best bet. They love to feast on eggs.

The extremely popular Parsi egg omelet with 18 eggs is a phenomenal turnout. Breakfast is a spread of various egg dishes.

Dhansak is another outstanding Parsi dish. A combination of rice, vegetables, masalas and mutton, the special dish was prepared only on the fourth day of the demise of a dear one. This was an old custom. Dhansak, which was once banned on all other merry occasions or special days, has made a turnaround and is now a hot-selling item in all Parsi restaurants.

How about trying out another hit Parsi item - the Sali par Eedu, which is a Parsi breakfast delicacy made of eggs on fried potatoes.

Here is how to go about it:

Ingredients
3 potatoes chopped lengthwise
2 eggs
1 chopped tomato
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp pepper powder
1 tbsp ghee

Preparation
Fry the potatoes till they turn crisp and set aside
Heat the ghee in a large pan and add the fried potatoes and chopped tomato
When they are almost done, gently press the mix down with a skillet
When it is done completely, sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves
Break the eggs over it