Introduction: A Fragrant Symbol of Kolkata’s Identity
Kolkata biryani is not only a local variation of an existing dish—it is a culinary emblem, rich in history, multi-layered in cultural memory, and passed down over generations. A single plate of biryani holds light flavour but also juxtaposed appurtenances, all of which captures a city that is extravagant and conservative together. It expresses an exiled imperial dish and its transition towards the pride of Bengal’s capital.
To know Kolkata biryani is to know the cadence of the city itself—it is layered, understated, and inobtrusively immersive. There is some variation of it at nearly every turn, from the grandest of restaurants to the street hawkers that choke the roads, this biryani is a part registry of nostalgia and inheritance. Kolkata biryani, despite its magnitude, is humble, a slow-food, the antithesis of the at times bombastic forms of biryani that one finds in most of India. Most other biryanis merit your taste buds attention with spice and heat, Kolkata’s form plays with gesture and elegance, light strokes of saffron, rosewater and ghee, woven around aromatic rice and long braised meat.
But what best distinguishes it though is not just its flavour, but its history and the journey it represents—to a place far, far beyond Bengal.
Origin: From Awadh to Metiabruz- A Biryani in Exile
In 1856, the story of Kolkata biryani began, specifically when Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh was dethroned by the British and exiled to the outskirts of Kolkata, in a place called Metiabruz. He was exiled with his courtiers, musicians and cooks and wanted to maintain overall the cultural sophistication of Lucknow within his new surroundings. Among these, food was the most aesthetic. The royal kitchens of Awadh were famous for their remarkable food; notably, ‘dum pukht’, which means the rice and meat need to be put together in a sealed pot and cooked. That is how the food was made in the royal kitchens. The Nawab’s cooks even while being exiled managed to whip up biryani, and just needed to make adjustments with local items, which set free the unique biryani pioneered for to the biryani we know of today.
How It Flourished: From Palatial Kitchens to Ordinary Tables
What started in a royal banishment soon permeated overall as the cultural DNA of the city. Beginning in the early 20th century, the dish had started its quiet transformation—from splendid pleasure to popular staple. Restaurants like Royal Indian Hotel were opening and showcasing delicious biryani, started drifting it away from Metiabruz for city-wide cosmopolitan appeal.
In 1929, Aminia was opened and it started to strengthen the presence of biriyani into public restaurants of Kolkata. Through the decades, restaurants like Shiraz Golden Restaurant, Arsalan and more recently Dada Boudir Hotel became institutions in their own right, each presenting their own variation of the dish but remaining faithful to its underlying nature.
What is impressive is the way Kolkata biryani has stayed within reach without sacrificing its dignity. It remains slow-cooked, still scented with delicate spices, and still worthy of celebration, festivities, and gatherings of family and friends. It is among the only dishes that easily occupies both the quotidian and the ritual.
Two Distinct Ingredients: The Potato and the Egg
What truly distinguishes Kolkata biryani are two additions that continue to baffle and delight newcomers: the humble boiled potato and the boiled egg.
The Potato: A Culinary Signature
Perhaps being the most debated component, the inclusion of the potato in Kolkata biryani is both practical and poetic. Legends say that during the Nawab’s exile, due to a shortage of funds, the cooks started using potatoes instead of a large quantity of meat to maintain the royalty. Thus, Kolkata biryani, as we know it today, was born. Descendant of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, Manzilat Fatima, supports this narrative.
However, another descendant of the Nawab, Shahanshah Mirza, states that potatoes were used in making the royal biryani not just because of a financial crunch, but because of the Nawab’s intense fascination for it.
On the other hand, with some arguments, Kolkata-based food writer Poorna Banerjee says that while Wajid Ali Shah may have introduced biryani to Kolkata, he had nothing to do with the addition of potato to the dish. “Adding potatoes to biryani happened after the 1950s as biryani gained popularity among the masses and ordinary Kolkatans found the meat-heavy dish too expensive.”
Others suggest that the potato, then a relatively new ingredient brought to Asia via European traders, was accepted as it absorbed flavor and added texture. Regardless of origin, today, the potato is more than a filler; it is a source of anticipation – roasted or boiled, it absorbs the richness of the spices and ghee, and gives a pleasing counterpoint to all the meat and rice. In many households, it is regarded as the most cherished part of the dish.
The Egg: Completeness on a Plate
The boiled egg, while less controversial, plays a vital role in adding both richness and visual balance. Its creamy yolk complements the aromatic rice, and its presence signals abundance. The egg is not an afterthought in Kolkata biryani – it is a subtle but necessary part of the arrangement. The egg mellows the spices, fills the blanks in texture, and it rounds out the piece which suited the very soul of the dish. Rooted in both economy and generosity, the egg reflects Kolkata’s inclusive palate—humble, yet refined.
Historically, the addition of the egg may have also been a way to stretch the meal, ensuring that every plate had both protein and presence. It democratizes the biryani, making it accessible without compromising on luxury. The egg, like the potato, became part of a culinary evolution shaped by migration, resourcefulness, and local taste.
Together, these two additions have become identifiers of the dish. They underscore Kolkata biryani’s ability to adapt and innovate, while respecting the contours of tradition.
Reference to Popular Culture: An Emblem in Memory and Media
Over time, Kolkata biryani has naturally found its niche in Bengali literature, cinema, and popular conversation. It surfaces in memoirs and fiction as a comfort symbol or yearning, a family moment shared, or a celebratory bond.
In Bengali cinema, biryani is not just food- it is a synonym for comfort, festivity, or excess. Modern food shows and travel programmes frequently allocate episodes to tracing the origins of the dish and regional pride.
Online, Kolkata biryani has mythic status. Food bloggers feature ‘biryani trails’ around the city on a regular basis, and online discussions of its superiority over other versions are both fervent and copious. The dish has now become a digital envoy of Kolkata’s gastronomic identity; photographed, written about, and remembered.
Current Status : An Icon Renewed and Reimagined
Now, Kolkata biryani has a shelf life much longer than the city itself. As the Bengali diaspora has grown in number, so has the popularity of the dish in metropolises such as London, New York, and Singapore. Try hard to visit a restaurant offering up local variants of Kolkata-style biryani, which are often made with huge pride and wholeheartedly maintain the potato as its signature flourish.
A meal at home occupies the pinnacle of both traditional occasions as well as contemporary dining approaches. There have never been so many cloud kitchens and food ordering apps offering greater accessibility to biryani than there have been in recent times, with newer restaurants creating innovative versions of biryani, incorporating different culinary elements into the mix or altering the dish to meet dietary regimes.
But among all this, the spirit of Kolkata biryani lives on. It is still a dish that belongs, a dish that celebrates a pedigree, a dish that maintains an obsession with its ingredients, and if nothing more, enshrines a collective cultural heritage in itself.
Conclusion: A Dish That Speaks of Home
Kolkata biryani is not characterized solely by its flavor, but by the feelings it gives. It talks of migration and accommodation, of royalty and survival, of a city that appropriates every tradition and makes them its own. The addition of the potato and egg is not random, but representative of Kolkata’s open nature, its readiness to save the past even while accepting change.
Only few meals have such a tale to tell, fewer with such elegance. In Kolkata, biryani is not a recipe – it is memory, it is identity, it is home. And so long as kitchens are free to simmer rice with saffron, layer it with slowly cooked meat, and snuggle a golden potato at the very bottom of the pot, this story will live on – in homes, in restaurants, in the hearts of people who claim the city home.
REFERENCES:
NEWS ARTICLE:
1.s Basu, Raisa, “The Royal Legacy Of Wajid Ali Shah and The Kolkata Biryani” The Statesman, June 19, 2024. https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/the-royal-legacy-of-wajid-ali-shah-and-the-kolkata-biryani-1503311544.html
2. Bhandari, Kabir Singh, “The Curious Case of Potato In Kolkata Biryani And How The British Fed Us A Lie” Hindustan Times, April 21, 2020. https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/the-curious-case-of-potato-in-kolkata-biriyani-and-how-the-british-fed-us-a-lie/story-k1smJjNz1QhxyyVZVdNyKN.html
3. Dasgupta, Srishti, “Here’s How Wajid Ali Shah Made The Kolkata Biryani” Times Of India, May 11, 2017. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/heres-how-wajid-ali-shah-made-the-kolkata-biryani/articleshow/58622647.cms
WEB PAGE
1.s Ganguly, Somrita, Sahapedia. “The Kolkata Biryani, Culture, Identity and Politics”. Last Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.sahapedia.org/the-kolkata-biryani-culture-identity-and-politics
2. Ghosh, Deepanjan, Peepul Tree Stories. “Who Put Potato In The Kolkata Biryani”. Last modified January 5, 2022. https://www.peepultree.world/livehistoryindia/story/living-culture/who-put-the-potato-in-the-kolkata-biryani?srsltid=AfmBOopdyQSnWLEHlA1lDhvJZ9d1eL1S-tSZhO7sk74myDYd5dOsOuAW
3. Pal, Sushmita. Curly Tales. “Potato In Kolkata Biryani Has A Historical Significance Dating Back To 19th Century”. Last modified August 1, 2022. https://curlytales.com/potato-in-kolkata-biryani-has-a-historic-significance-dating-back-to-the-19th-century/
4. Homegrown. “How An Exiled Nawab Invented The Famous Kolkata Biryani”, Last modified June 8, 2021. https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-explore/how-an-exiled-nawab-invented-the-famous-kolkata-biryani