Pleasure of having Chilam Dar Biryani at the Most Historical Venue of Pakistan: The Poet Restaurant

Tracing the origins of Biryani is like unveiling a tale which is surely going to tease your taste buds. The origins of biryani are traced back to the Queen Mumtaz Mahal. The legend records that one day Mumtaz Mahal visited army barracks and found the soldiers very under-nourished.  She suggested a balanced and nutritious diet for them which combine meat and rice, whipped up with spices and saffron cooked over a wooden fire. This was the earliest form of Biryani.

The Great Mughals were the connoisseurs of rich and flavorful food. The royal recipes were all about colors, aroma, and harried experiments.  One of the specialties of the Mughlai cuisine is that the dishes are garnished with edible flowers and foils of precious gold and silver. The royal chef at the Mughal court used to regularly consult the royal physician while planning the royal menu. Medicinally beneficial ingredients were prioritized in Mughlai cuisine. For biryani, each grain of rice was often coated with silver-flecked oil.  This special technique didn’t only aid digestion but also served as an aphrodisiac. Biryani used to be cooked over charcoal in earthen pots in the royal kitchen.

Even centuries after the Great Mughal era, Biryani is still satiating the hunger of the masses as one of the most popular dishes in the sub-continent with many hyper-local variations. The Poet Restaurant offers authentic Mughlai-style Biryani. Our Murgh Biryani and Chilam Dar Biryani are prepared with meticulously measured ingredients and practiced technique. Succulent chunks of perfectly spiced meat in Biryani combined with scented rice will give a regal taste of Mughlai cuisine.