Did you know that October 11 was celebrated as World Biryani Day? In the past, several online debates have taken place to determine which type of biryani is the tastiest – Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Thalassery, Donne and Dindigul, etc. Now, Twitter is at loggerheads over the origin of the dish.
According to News18, there are various theories to this debate. Some historians say Biryani is derived from the Persian words Birian (fried before cooking) and Birinj (rice). According to NDTV, the dish is believed to have been introduced to North India by the Mughals and South India by the Arabs. Others believe the Turk-Mongols brought it here and some argue that it originated in the sub-continent itself and evolved into different varieties over time.

Some people credited the Persians for bringing the recipe to India while others pointed out a dish named Oon-Suru which was mentioned in Tamil texts way back in 2 AD.
TIL, Biryani originated in India. The reference to what's essentially Biryani dates back to 2AD (and in tamil sangam literature in the age of Nalan Killi and Vel Pari).
More details here: https://t.co/ueEz9e33de pic.twitter.com/RWkkE85oox
— Shravan Venkataraman 🔥🚀💰 (@theBuoyantMan) October 14, 2020
I wonder whether even biryani was a Mughal creation. The tentwalas came from a land where rice doesn't grow, and evidently learnt fine cooking from the rajas and maharajas of India. https://t.co/TOgSGMYtel
— Vinod Sharma (@vinod_sharma) October 14, 2020
@newsshakes@seemi_pashaMadam BIRYANI is NOT an ARABIC https://t.co/mwQZANvea0 was INVENTED many a YEARS ago at Punjabwhen Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated the GOLD to cover Kashi Vishvanath Temple Prepare BIRYANI without the Bengali RICE and Indian SPICE . I BET.Get your NUT CORRECT
— News that move and shakes (@NewsShakes) October 14, 2020
Around 1500 years before mughals, in Sangam age Tamil poems there is mention about meat cooked with rice and spices (Purananuru 14).
Credit: @Daivodasa https://t.co/7jLZ9Z1bLI pic.twitter.com/kBkhd3GHDf— Ekadanta ௐ 卐 (@TheBrokenTusk) October 13, 2020
We won’t Ban it but start calling it’s original Tamil name “Oon-Suru. The Turkish foreigners just renamed the new local dish that they ate after reaching India. Rice herbs and Masala is alien to Arab desert but locally grows amply (Biriyani: Persian Burnt-rice) #OonSuru https://t.co/56XVV5T3B5
— Dr Yuthika (@YuthikaSharma) October 14, 2020
Biryani is not mentioned as is in Pakdarpanam. What is mentioned is cooking rice mixed with meat (मांसौदन). What is also mentioned is how one could keep the aroma intact by covering the vessel mouth with flour -exactly the same method
known as Dum-Pukht today.
Eat or dont eat , love it or hate it , just chill na…#Biryani pic.twitter.com/ZxuCETCFDc
— Sidharth Shukla (@sidhshuk) October 14, 2020
Do you think Biryani is overrated? Tell us!