{{Short description|Meat stew originating in the Indian subcontinent}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{EngvarB|date=February 2026}} {{Other uses|Nahari (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox food | name = Nihari | image = Nalli Nihari India.jpg | caption = Nihari with Khamiri Roti served in Delhi | place_of_origin = Indian subcontinent | region = Lucknow, Delhi<ref name="SenBhattacharyya"/><ref name="Hussain2025"/> | year = 18th-century | associated_cuisine = Indian (Awadhi), Pakistani, Bangladeshi<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=Colleen Taylor |last2=Bhattacharyya |first2=Sourish |last3=Saberi |first3=Helen |title=The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine |date=23 February 2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-12864-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3jusEAAAQBAJ |page=258}}</ref> | course = Main course (breakfast, lunch, dinner) | served = Hot | main_ingredient = Shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, goat meat, or camel meat, as well as chicken and bone marrow | variations = | calories = | other = Served with naan or rice or Roti }}
'''Nihari''' (Hindi: {{lang|hi|निहारी}}, Urdu: {{lang|ur|نہاری}}) is a stew of the Indian subcontinent, which consists of slow-cooked meat, mainly a shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, or goat meat, as well as chicken and bone marrow. The two most common theories of origin postulate that nihari originated in India during the era of Mughal Empire either in the cities of Lucknow or Delhi.<ref name="NDTV">{{Cite news|last=Sengupta|first=Sushmita|date=3 January 2018|title=Nihari: History Of The Meaty and Buttery Breakfast Staple of The Mughals|url=https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/nihari-history-of-the-meaty-and-buttery-breakfast-staple-of-the-mughals-1795358|access-date=3 January 2018 |work=NDTV Food}}</ref><ref name="SenBhattacharyya">{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=Colleen Taylor |last2=Bhattacharyya |first2=Sourish |last3=Saberi |first3=Helen |title=The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine |date=23 February 2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-12864-4 |language=en|quotation=Some claim it originated in Delhi in the late eighteenth century, others that ir originated in the kitchens of Awadh (see Lucknow).}}</ref><ref name="Hussain2025">{{cite web |last1=Hussain |first1=Sadaf |title=Food history: How nihari went from being the humble food of the poor to a dish for the high table |url=https://scroll.in/article/1077553/food-history-how-nihari-went-from-being-the-humble-food-of-the-poor-to-a-dish-for-the-high-table |publisher=Scroll.in |access-date=16 March 2026 |language=en |date=14 January 2025|quote=The debate intensifies when the origins of nihari are discussed, with proponents from both Delhi and Lucknow vying for the culinary crown.}}</ref> It is flavoured with long pepper (pippali), a relative of black pepper and is often served with naan, roti or rice.
== Etymology == The Hindi-Urdu name {{Transliteration|hi|nihari}} originates from Arabic ''{{Transliteration|ar|nahâr}}'' ({{Langx|ar|نهار|label=none}}), meaning "morning";<ref name="McGregor1993">{{cite book |last1=McGregor |first1=Ronald Stuart |title=The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary |date=1993 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-864317-3|page=576 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="NDTV"/><ref name="TOI"/><ref name="Hom">{{cite web|url=https://homtainment.com/beef-nihari-a-historical-recipe/|title=Nihari- historical recipe|date=23 December 2020|website=Homtainment|access-date=23 December 2020|archive-date=27 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527175059/https://homtainment.com/beef-nihari-a-historical-recipe/|url-status=dead}}</ref> it was originally eaten by nawabs in the Mughal Empire as a breakfast course following Fajr prayer.<ref name="NDTV">{{Cite news|last=Sengupta|first=Sushmita|date=3 January 2018|title=Nihari: History Of The Meaty and Buttery Breakfast Staple of The Mughals|url=https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/nihari-history-of-the-meaty-and-buttery-breakfast-staple-of-the-mughals-1795358|access-date=3 January 2018 |work=NDTV Food}}</ref><ref name="Hom"/> It is served in the morning, though certain eateries, such as Kallu Mian of Delhi, serve it in the afternoon.<ref name="SenBhattacharyya2023">{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=Colleen Taylor |last2=Bhattacharyya |first2=Sourish |last3=Saberi |first3=Helen |title=The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine |date=23 February 2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-350-12864-4 |language=en}}</ref>
==History== The exact origins of Nihari are a subject of culinary debate, with ''The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine'' asserting the city of origin to be in the Indian cities of Lucknow or Delhi.<ref name="SenBhattacharyya"/> One largely accepted tradition attributes that nihari may have originated in the royal kitchens of the Indian city of Lucknow, Awadh (modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India), in the late 18th-century, during the last throes of the Mughal Empire.<ref name="TOI">{{cite news|first=Deblina |last=Chakravorty |date=12 April 2012|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/food-reviews/Nihari-a-gift-from-Nawabs/articleshow/11577016.cms|title=Nihari, a gift from Nawabs|work=The Times of India|access-date=5 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Husain |first=Chef Izzat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fhppDwAAQBAJ |title=Izzat Ka Khana: Mughlai Cuisine Recipes |date=16 August 2018 |publisher=Notion Press |isbn=978-1643241500 |pages=06 |language=en |quote=The well known Nihari originated in Lucknow during the construction of the Rumi Gate; It was invented for labourers who worked for construction in huge numbers. A vital food was required for workers, then some Bawarchis, the Chefs, and Hakeems, the medicos decided to cock the dish with the whole buff in a large vessel prepared overnight with some energetic spices and herbs. A whole buff cooked in a large dek and was served with tandoori roti. All the workers were served in the Morning. Nehar is a Arabic word which means "Morning" therefore it got its term "Nahari." When the taste and other benefits of Nahari got popular widely among officials including the king, who turned a fan of Nahari himself. Then he ordered Nahari for his royal kitchen. Later, Nahari was placed in the menu of the royal kitchen moderating with a lot of improvements, which was later turned into "Shahi-Nahari." Apparently, Delhi and Lahore were also administrative cities that time. Nehari also toured these cities, and it was stretched to the world of Urdu speaking nations. One can easily observe its popularity among the restaurants of Lucknow along with the double layered crispy kulcha.}}</ref> Another theory postulates its origin in Delhi during the medieval period of India.<ref name="SenBhattacharyya"/><ref name="Hussain2025"/> The dish later gained widespread popularity and eventually became a staple of the royal cuisine of Mughal-era nawabs, coming to be eaten throughout the Indian subcontinent.<ref>{{cite news |title=In celebration of winter's perfect dish, the mutton nihari! |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/in-celebration-of-winter-s-perfect-dish-the-mutton-nihari/story-aWAvsL8kFp5CKmk535PYDK.html |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=Hindustan Times |date=4 November 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Do you know what is Nalli Nihari? History of Nihari and recipe of Nalli Nihari |url=https://infusecooking.com/what-is-nalli-nihari/ |website=infusecooking.com |date=29 June 2021 |access-date=28 June 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306164331/https://infusecooking.com/what-is-nalli-nihari/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Popularity== Nihari is a traditional dish of the Indian cities of Lucknow, Delhi, and Bhopal.<ref name="SenBhattacharyya2023"/> Following the partition of India in 1947, many Urdu-speaking Muslims from northern India migrated to Karachi in West Pakistan and Dhaka in East Pakistan, and established a number of restaurants serving the dish. In Karachi, nihari became a large-scale success and soon spread in prominence and availability across Pakistan.<ref name="th">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/life/2007/05/25/stories/2007052500230300.htm|title=Nihari a la Mexican style|work=The Hindu Business Line|access-date=5 March 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523114642/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/life/2007/05/25/stories/2007052500230300.htm|archive-date=23 May 2013|first1=Asif|last1=Noorani}}</ref> Nihari is eaten in Bangladesh as well.<ref name="SenBhattacharyya2023"/>
[[File:Beef_Nihari,_made_by_Saleha_Atif,_Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Beef nihari prepared by a Karachiite chef in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia – garnished with ginger, coriander leaves, and green chillies.]]
In some restaurants, a few kilograms from each day's leftover nihari is added to the next day's pot; this reused portion of the dish is known as {{Transliteration|hi|taar}} and is believed to provide a unique flavour. Some nihari outlets in Old Delhi claim to have kept an unbroken cycle of ''{{Transliteration|hi|taar}}'' going for more than a century.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sengupta |first=Sushmita |date=20 January 2022 |url=https://www.slurrp.com/article/nihari%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98taar%E2%80%99-to-dahi%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98jamun%E2%80%99-the-desi-art-of-using-remains-of-previous-batch-to-flavour-next-1637066963216 |title=Nihari's 'Taar' to Dahi's 'Jamun': The Desi Art Of Using Remains Of Previous Batch To Flavour Next |work=Slurrp.com |access-date=22 December 2023 }}</ref> Nihari may be consumed with Khamiri Roti.<ref name="Ahuja2017">{{cite web |last1=Ahuja |first1=Aashna |title=The Legacy of Kallu Mian, Old Delhi's Legendary Nihari Walla |url=https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/the-legendary-story-of-old-delhis-nihari-walla-1398357 |publisher=NDTV |access-date=16 March 2026 |date=9 September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Deepak2016">{{cite web |last1=Deepak |first1=Sharanya |title=The Indian Meal That Is a National Sentiment, a Political Rebellion, and a Piece of History |url=https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2016/the-indian-meal-that-is-a-national-sentiment-a-political-rebellion-and-a-piece-of-history/ |publisher=Roads & Kingdoms |access-date=16 March 2026 |date=8 January 2016}}</ref>
==Medicinal remedies== Nihari is also used as a home remedy for fever, rhinorrhea, and the common cold.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Nihari? |url=http://www.indiacurry.com/faqterms/whatnihari.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219082004/http://www.indiacurry.com/faqterms/whatnihari.htm |archive-date=19 December 2014 |access-date=28 November 2014 |website=indiacurry.com}}</ref>
==See also== *Awadhi cuisine *Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent *List of stews
==References== {{Portal|India|Pakistan|Bangladesh|Food}} {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons}} *[https://www.tasteatlas.com/nihari Nihari] at TasteAtlas
{{Indian Dishes}}
Category:South Asian curries Category:Indian meat dishes Category:Indian soups and stews Category:Bangladeshi meat dishes Category:Bangladeshi soups and stews Category:Pakistani soups and stews Category:Pakistani meat dishes Category:Bone marrow dishes Category:Indian cuisine Category:Mughlai cuisine Category:Telangana cuisine Category:Hyderabadi cuisine Category:Muhajir cuisine Category:Lahori cuisine