PARSI CUISINE
The Parsi were originally from Persia. Which is now Iran
and they love food and spend hours cooking up feasts . The influence of their
old home Iran and the
influence of Gujarat where they landed to
escape religious persecution is reflected in their cuisine.
Parsi cuisine has influences from Iran,
Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Iranian influence
is seen in the meat and chicken dishes cooked with vegetables. Bhakras (a type of fried scone)
and sadhnas (steamed rice pancakes), both made with toddy are other typical
Parsi dishes. The Parsi cuisine is deliciously spiced and one of the speciality
is "Dhansak",
a mutton, lentil and vegetable potpourri served with brown rice consumed with a
pint of lager. Some other dishes are "Koimino patio" - a sweet and
sour prawn curry, "Dhandal patio" - fish curry served with rice and
lentils.
Other popular Parsi dishes include the Chicken Farcha (fried
chicken), Patra ni
machhi (steamed fish wrapped in banana leaf), Sali murghi (spicy chicken
with potato crisps), Sali
Boti (a lamb preparation) and many more.
The common delicious
desserts (vasanu, literally
"sweet dish") include sev (vermicelli), ravo (semolina). Also popular are faluda and kulfi, both of which are adoptions from the cuisines of
the Irani and Urdu speaking communities.
