Introduction Parsis’s Food
The Persians fled from Iran when the Arabs invaded it during the 17th century. They finally settled along the West Coast of India and bought along with them their exotic cuisine.
About Parsis’s Food
‘Parsis’ or ‘parsees’ are descendants of Zoroastrians who fled Iran during the Arab invasion in the 17th century.They love to spend hours cooking before a big ceremony and prepare dishes that are absolutely mind-blowing.
Parsis’s Community
They believe in Zoroastrians one God, called Ahura Mazda. Parsi are followers of Zoroastrianism in India. According to Parsi tradition, a group of Iranian Zoroastrians emigrated from Persia to escape religious persecution by the Muslim majority after the Arab conquest.
Parsis are marrying outside the community. Parsi woman marrying a non–parsi is allowed to enter the fire temple and participate in religious activities. Before December 2017, a Parsi women who marries a non–Parsi man was automatically considered to have converted to the religion of her husband.
Parsis are commonly seen speaking either Gujarati or English. But their native language is Avestan. Zoroastrianism was founded by Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran about 3,500 years ago. The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism.
They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages mostly to the north of Mumbai, but also at Karachi (Pakistan) and Bengaluru (Karnataka, India). The vast majority of Persians practice Shīʿite Islam. Before the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century ce, most Persians followed Zoroastrianism, based on the teachings of the ancient prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra), who lived during the first half of the 1st millennium bce.
As of 2019, it has been estimated that there are 100,000 to 200,000 Zoroastrians worldwide, with around 60,000 Parsis in India and 1,400 in Pakistan.
Parsi cuisine is an eclectic mix of hot and sweet, nice and spice. It involves simple yet diverse ingredients that in theory seem a bit odd but make complete sense on a plate.
Influence On The Parsi Cusine
Over the years, their food, like their people, has imbibed Maharashtrian, Gujarati, Iranian and British influences. Let’s know everything about Parsi food that will make you want to feast on the Parsi new year that falls on 17th August 2019. This Navroze knows what’s special about the community’s food.
Popular Parsi dishes include:
- Chicken Farcha (Fried chicken appetizer)
- Dhansak (Lamb, mutton, goat, chicken or vegetables in a mixed lentil or toor daal gravy served with brown rice)
- Patra ni Machhi (Fish – Pomfret or Surmai stuffed heavily with green coconut chutney and wrapped in a banana leaf – steam cooked.)
- Sali Murghi (Spicy chicken with fine fried matchstick potatoes)
- Saas ni Machhi (Yellow rice with pomfret fish fillets in white sauce)
- Kolmi no Patio (Shrimp in spicy tomato curry)
- Jardaloo Sali Boti (Boneless mutton in an onion and tomato sauce with apricots and fried matchstick potatoes)
- Khichri (rice with toor daal or moong daal)
- Tamota ni Ras Chaval (mutton cutlets with white rice and tomato sauce)
Also popular among Parsis, but less so elsewhere, are the typical Parsi edda (egg) dishes, which include akuri (scrambled eggs with spices) and the pora (“Parsi” omelet). Also, vegetables like okra, tomato, potato, and others are often cooked with eggs on top.
Snacks
Popular parsi snacks include bhakhra (deep fried sweet dough), batasa (tea biscuits), dar ni pori (sweetened lentils stuffed in a light pastry), doodh na puff (milk froth) and khaman na ladva (dumplings stuffed with sweetened coconut).
Lunch
The basic feature of a Parsi lunch is rice, eaten with lentils or a curry. Curry is made with coconut and ras without, with curry usually being thicker than ras. Dinner would be a meat dish, often accompanied by potatoes or another vegetable curry. Kachumbar (a sharp onion-cucumber salad) accompanies most meals.
Desserts
Common desserts include sev (vermicelli), ravo (sweet semolina pudding)
and malido (a nutty fudge). Also popular are faluda and kulfi, both of
which are adoptions from the cuisines of the Irani and Persian-speaking
communities. Wedding feasts traditionally include Lagan nu Custard.
Popular Parsi dishes include:
Chicken Farcha (Fried chicken appetizer) Dhansak (Lamb, mutton, goat, chicken or vegetables in a mixed lentil or toor daal gravy served with brown rice) Patra ni Machhi (Fish – Pomfret or Surmai stuffed heavily with green coconut chutney and wrapped in a banana leaf – steam cooked.)
Famous Parsis’s Cafe’s & Restaurant In Mumbai
- Kyani and co ( Marine Lines)
- Piccadilly (Colaba
- Britannia & Co
- Cafe Military
- Yazdani Restaurant & Bakery
- Jimmy Boy In Mumbai
- Sassanian Boulangerie
- K Rustom (South Mumbai
Famous Parsis’s Cafe’s & Restaurant In Delhi
- Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu
- Soda Bottle opener wala
- Parsi Anjuman
- Monkey Bar
- Cafe lotta
Conclusion
Parsi cuisine also has influenced just like its parent, or Persian, cuisine. Modern-day Parsi cuisine was especially shaped during the British rule of India. Parsis love eggs, potatoes, and meat.
Almost all the vegetable dishes made from okra, tomatoes, or potatoes will have eggs on top.
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