Irani Cafes started long back when migrant Irani people moved to Mumbai for livelihood. This is a classic dish served there – keema par edu which translates to fried egg on top of minced meat. Spicy meaty eggy breakfast to start your day 🙂
by chattambado
12 Comments
Damn, that looks delicious!
I would eat, but for dinner, or laaaaate night!
Looks like heaven
It looks like eggs and chorizo, does it taste similar?
A little history ( Source Wiki ) :
Although the term ‘Irani’ is first attested during the [Mughal era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_era), most Iranis are descended from immigrants who left Iran and migrated to the Indian subcontinent during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the time, Iran was ruled by the [Qajars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qajar_dynasty) and religious [persecution of Zoroastrians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Zoroastrians) was widespread. The descendants of those immigrants remain ethnically closer to the [Zoroastrians of Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrians_in_Iran), in particular to the Zoroastrians of [Yazd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazd) and [Kerman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerman), than to Parsis in India. Consequently, some Iranis still speak [Persian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_language) and the [Dari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari_(Zoroastrian)) dialects of the Zoroastrians of those provinces. Iranis are generally seen as a subset of the wider Parsi community.
As is also the case for the Parsis, the Iranis predominantly settled the west-coast of India, in the states of [Gujarat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarat) and [Maharashtra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtra). A concentration of their people live in and around the city of [Mumbai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbai).
Irani cafes are not new to our country but have been existing from long back. While the older ones in Mumbai served some legendary fare. Slowly it has been observed that the culinary heritage is being faded off since most young generation of Iranis are much inclined towards various different business verticals – absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Irani cafe’s have their own old world charm even if you visit not. Chequered table mat with glass top and menu stuck underneath. Quirky one liners all around like – do not chit chat, do not comb your hair on table, do not flirt with the waiter/cashier etc adds to the ambience of the place to bring up old rustic feel. The owners generally are a little stubborn but trust me these are some of the sweetest people who you will meet. They care about their guests more than anything else, a right example would be now late 93 year old Boman Kohinoor from Brittania cafe in Mumbai managed to serve his famous berry pulav to the Royal family of Britain to express is love and respect for the Queen.
These are places where you go sit with your friend or family and spend some amazing time over countless glasses of tea, bun maska, omelettes and every other Parsi delicacy. If you have an Irani Cafe or a restaurant run by a Parsi around you, do give it a try and follow their motto of Khavanu, Pivanu, Majja ni Life – translates to eat, drink & enjoy your life !
10/10 would eat
Looks delicious! If you are ever in the UK you should check out Dishoom which is based on Irani cafes. They even have a cookbook they sell that goes into some of the history.
Delicious
Sounds a bit like pad kra pow (Holy basil stir fry) Wonder how close the two tastes are
Hey! I know this place! 🙂
Oh I’m so here for this
A mashup of this with shakshuka (and there may be such a dish) would be excellent too. Thanks for sharing.