Kolkata’s Biryani Love: A Rising Trend Post-Pandemic

Biryani: Kolkata’s New Favorite

Kolkata’s love for biryani has grown a lot since the pandemic. Orders for this dish have tripled since 2022. On World Biryani Day, biryani sales topped Chinese and Continental dishes. Now, biryani is the top choice for many, especially in online orders.

Special Deals Boost Sales

Many restaurants celebrated World Biryani Day with special deals. Flame & Grill offered a free biryani with every chicken and egg biryani ordered until July 8.

Anjan Chatterjee, founder of Specialty Restaurants, shared, “Biryani sales have risen a lot over the last three years. This shows a change in what people like to eat.”

Variety Drives Popularity

Different kinds of biryani have made it very popular. Shiladitya Choudhury, owner of Oudh 1590, said, “We introduced Awadhi handi, raan, mahi, moti, and palak biryanis. This has made biryani more popular than Chinese food.”

Oudh 1590 saw a 25% sales increase during a biryani festival in May. The restaurant sold 1 million biryanis in Kolkata last year.

Biryani: A Nationwide Hit

An online food delivery service reported 83 million biryani orders in 2024 across India. That’s 158 orders per minute! Biryani has been the most ordered dish on the app for nine years.

Why Kolkatans Adore Biryani

Sudesh Poddar, president of the Hotel and Restaurants’ Association of Eastern India, said, “Biryani is easy to find and is a rice-based dish. This has made Kolkatans love it even more. At my restaurant, sales have tripled in the last five years.”

Aminia, one of the oldest Mughlai chains in the city, now sells 3,500 plates of biryani a day. Kabir Azhar of Aminia said, “Biryani has become very popular. Street-corner shops have turned biryani into street food. Our sales have doubled in the last five years.”

Why Biryani Stands Out

• Complete Meal: Biryani mixes carbs and meat, making it a full meal.
• Variety: Biryani comes in many types, like Nizami, Awadhi, Kolkata, Malabari, and Thalakapatty.
• Consistent Taste: Biryani’s taste is more consistent than Chinese food from one place to another.