The popular 'Hyderabadi biryani' has lost its battle for the Geographical Indication (GI) tag due to lack of evidence to prove its historical connection with the city.
The GI registry in Chennai said the historical origin of Hyderabadi biryani has not been proven and there are no supporting documents for the same. Geographical Indication essentially means that the item or dish has to have a traditional method emanating from its geographical origin.
The news is quite unfortunate for the Deccani Biryani Makers’ Association whose efforts of the past nine years have gone in vain. Zubair Ahmed, secretary of the Deccani Biryani Makers’ Association, applied for the GI tag for 'Hyderabadi Kathi Gosht Biryani' way back in April 2009 along with photographs and details of the method (known as kachi yakhni) and skills involved in preparing it.
A show-cause hearing was fixed for January 23, but none from the association showed up. Now, the association has been asked to produce documentary evidence of historical data from the Gazetteer and proof of origin of product. Apparently, the association had filed a reply but had not answered the queries raised by the examination report.
As of now, the alternate route for the GI tag is to appeal to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) in Chennai within next three months.
Ahmed's concern is that if he does not get the tag quick enough, the biryani will lose it to Lucknow who is a competitor.
Hyderabadi biryani was brought to the region by invading Mughal armies of Aurangzeb. But over a period of time, Telangana flavour was blended into it and in those days it was famous as the Pakhi Gosht Ki Biryani.
Soon, in the same kitchen, with Telangana influences, the Kacchi Gosht Biryani was created, and went on to become the special dish of the Hyderbad Nizam. Currently, it is the food symbol of the city.
Meanwhile, Hyderabadi haleem, another dish, was fortunate enough to get its GI tag in 2010 in the category of food. While Haleem Makers’ Association were able to successfully prove the origin, the National Research Centre on Meat also allowed certification for the Hyderabadi haleem.
