Nihari

Nihari (Urdu: نهاری‎) is a South Asian curry consisting of slow-cooked beef or lamb along with bone marrow, garnished to taste and occasionally served with cooked brain. It is one of the national dishes of Pakistan.

Etymology

The word Nihar originated from the Arabic word "Nahar" (Arabic: نهار‎) which means "day" as it was typically served after sunrise Fajr prayers, who would then sleep until the afternoon.

History

According to many sources: Nihari either originated in Old Delhi (Jama Masjid and Daryaganj areas) in the late eighteenth century during the last throes of the Mughal Empire or in the royal kitchens of Awadh, in modern day Uttar Pradesh, India. The Nawab ate Nihari early in the morning after Fajr prayers and then took a long nap before going to Zhuhr (afternoon Muslim prayers). Later on, it became popular among the labor class as a regular breakfast item.

Another story reveals that Nihari was cooked overnight in large volume to be served to the labourers. Whenever there were massive constructions involved and the kings served meals free to labour and also paid them. In some instances kings did not want to offer coins / currencies, they in turn offered free meals and accommodations to the labourers. Since the work had to be started in the morning, it was cooked in an earthern pot, sometimes even buried and served in the morning to ensure the supply of energetic labour force.