Hyderabad is famous for its cuisine. If Hyderabadi Biriyani is the King among them, Iranian tea is the prince. Most Hyderabadis, whether they are local or not, will feel mouth watering when they talk about Iranian tea. As the name suggests, the credit of the tea goes back to the famous family of Iranian dishes. In India, Hyderabad is the second largest city in terms of the number of Iranian shops and popularity, after Mumbai. The tasty tea, popularly known as Irani chai, is made from Assam tea leaves in almost all Iranian tea shops.
If you miss this famous beverage while you are in Nizam’s city, you will miss a fine opportunity to 'taste' the Iranian culture as well. There are many interesting stories behind the origin of Iranian restaurants. The 65 year old Hajji Mansoor Ali recalls one of such stories like this: During Nizam’s era, Iranians who had come to Hyderabad in search of better prospects usually came together for casual talks in the evenings. Gradually, natives also started to come and they were occasionally provided with refreshments such as tea. Soon, this tea became an inevitable item in the evenings. When these gatherings began to grow, the popularity of tea also spread.
People rush to Iranian tea shops in the cold evenings of the winter to enjoy the hot and savoury flavour of Iranian tea. “There will be big crowds in front of the tea shops in the winter. People warm themselves by drinking tea,” says Arun, a daily customer who works in a private company.
Chotta samosa and mirchi bhaji are the 'close friends' of Iranian tea in Secunderabad while people prefer Osmania biscuits in Old city. “People usually eat chotta samosa and mirchi bhaji with iranian tea,” says Mansoor, waiter of Hotel Alpha, opposite to Railway station. “Here we serve osmania biscuits with the tea,” said Amarudhin, the supplier of Hotel Shadab, near Charminar.
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| Favourite beverage: People prefer Osmania biscuits with Iranian tea. Photo: Mohammed Anvar |
There are hundreds of Iranian tea shops in the twin cities. We can see a cross section of Hyderabadis in the shops. People from every walk of life including students, professors, doctors, advocates and bureaucrats are among the customers of Iranian tea. Tourists, within and outside the country, go in search of this famed beverage.
If one ask whether all Iranian tea shops have an Iranian cook, the answer is no. “Many Iranian hotels don’t have any relation with ‘real’ Iranians who came here long back. Real Iranian hotels are very rare nowadays. Cooks from Iranian tradition are no longer available. So we ourselves prepare Iranian tea and serve it,” explains Ayyub, cashier of Nimrah cafe & Bakery.
Understanding the popularity and 'market' of Iranian tea, other hotels like Paradise in Secundearbad also started serving it. The only difference is, of course, the cost. Old city hotels Irani chai cost Rs. 4 to 7 while city hotels charge you Rs.10/-. “Here we prepare more than 2500 pots of tea every day,” says Krishna Reddy of Alpha hotel, opposite to Secunderabad railway station. This shows the popularity of the beverage.
Even In the busy city life people flow to hotels for their favourite beverage. “Since it is a general eatery, many people come daily. But for Irani chai we have a special counter inside the hotel. Sometimes we can’t control the crowd in this counter, especially at evenings,” says a waiter of Alpha hotel at Secunderabad. Hotel Paradise is famous for its special Hyderabadi Biriyani. “Though people prefer Paradise to eat Biriyani, most of them taste of Iranian tea. Definitely people will love it once they taste it,” opines Anoop after taking a sip of hot Iranian tea from Paradise.
The legacy of Irani chai continues in the twin cities. Drinking the chai has become a fashion rather than a habit for some people. This beverage has brought popularity for the twin cities and it recalls the culinary tradition of Hyderabad during the time of Nizams. Thus, for Hyderabadis, Iranian tea is not only refreshment but also reminder of its past. The saga of Iranian tea will never end in these cities as it has many stories to say, many experience to share and many people to taste its flavour.
