A cuisine of the courts
Hyderabadi cooking grew in the kitchens of the Qutb Shahi kings and the Nizams, where Persian and Mughal techniques met the flavours of the Deccan, Telugu and Marathi traditions. The result is a cuisine of slow cooking, rich meat dishes, fragrant rice, tangy gravies of tamarind, sesame and peanut, and sweets built around nuts and fruit. Many visitors come for the food alone, and it is easy to build a trip around it.
Biryani
The dish that made Hyderabad famous is the biryani. In the kacchi style, raw marinated meat is layered with partly cooked rice and the pot is sealed and cooked slowly over a low flame, a method called dum. In the pakki style, the meat is cooked first and then layered with rice. Both are flavoured with saffron, fried onions, mint, yoghurt and spices, and served with raita and a spicy gravy called mirchi ka salan or bagara baingan. Biryani is eaten at lunch or dinner, and restaurants range from simple local places to hotel dining rooms. A guided food walk takes you to places where it is made well.
Kebabs, haleem and other meat dishes
Look for shikampuri, a soft lentil and minced meat cutlet, seekh and boti kebabs, paya (trotter soup) at breakfast, nihari, and dalcha, a lentil and meat stew. During Ramadan, haleem takes over: a slow-cooked porridge of meat, wheat and spices that is served after the evening fast and is sold in huge quantities around Charminar. Many restaurants now offer haleem outside Ramadan, but the season is the best time to try it.
Vegetarian options
Although Hyderabad is famous for meat, the city has a rich vegetarian tradition, with Andhra and Telugu meals served on banana leaves, dosas and idlis for breakfast, and vegetarian biryani and curries at many restaurants. Gongura, a tangy leafy vegetable, is a regional speciality, and pulusu and pappu are staple dishes of Telugu homes. Vegetarians should tell their guide or host in advance, and will do very well at the many dedicated vegetarian restaurants.
Sweets and desserts
Finish a meal with double ka meetha, a rich bread pudding with milk and nuts, or khubani ka meetha, stewed dried apricots served with cream or ice cream. Qubani and sheer khurma, a vermicelli dessert made at Eid, are other classics. Sweet shops sell pootharekulu, a delicate rice-paper sweet from the Andhra coast, and a range of milk-based confections. Be aware that many desserts are very sweet.
Irani cafes and chai
The Irani cafes of the Old City are an institution, a legacy of Persian immigrants, with marble tables, bentwood chairs and glass counters. Order a cup of strong, sweet, milky Irani chai and an osmania biscuit, or a bun maska with butter, and linger as long as you like. Cafes are open from early morning to late at night, and they are a good place to rest between sights. A visit to one is part of the Hyderabad experience.
Street food and food safety
Street food is one of the pleasures of the Old City, but be selective. Choose busy stalls with high turnover, food cooked fresh and served hot, and avoid anything that has been sitting out. Drink bottled or filtered water and be careful with ice and raw salads. If you have a sensitive stomach, begin with milder dishes and build up slowly. A guided food walk is a good way to eat well while managing risk, and portions are sampling size.
Learning to cook
For a deeper understanding, take a cooking demonstration in a private home, where a host shows how biryani, mirchi ka salan and a dessert are made. It is a good evening activity and a way to meet local people. Ask about dietary requirements in advance, and take notes. If you buy spices to take home, look for whole spices in sealed packages rather than ground, which lose flavour faster.
Planning meals around sights
Have breakfast at an Irani cafe in the Old City before Charminar, a long lunch of biryani after the morning sights, tea and snacks in the afternoon and dinner at your hotel or a restaurant in Banjara Hills. On the day you visit Golconda, eat dinner after the sound and light show. If you are eating out a lot, pace yourself, since the food is rich, and drink plenty of water. The reward is a cuisine with real depth and history, and a good meal is one of the most memorable parts of any visit to Hyderabad.