Balti (food)
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A balti or bāltī gosht (Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is a type of curry served in a thin, pressed-steel wok called a "balti bowl".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name may have come from the metal dish in which the curry is cooked,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BBCBalti/> rather than from any specific ingredient or cooking technique.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Balti curries are cooked quickly using vegetable oil rather than ghee, over high heat in the manner of a stir-fry, and any meat is used off the bone. This combination differs sharply from a traditional one-pot Indian curry which is simmered slowly all day. Balti sauce is based on garlic and onions, with turmeric and garam masala, among other spices.<ref name=BBCBalti/>
Balti gosht is eaten in North India and some parts of Pakistan,<ref name="Dahl1999">Template:Cite book</ref> as well as other parts of the world, such as Great Britain.<ref name="Khanna2013"/> The British version of Balti was developed in Birmingham in 1977.<ref name="Hindu">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=BBCBalti>Template:Cite web</ref>
Origin, history and etymology
Balti, as a food, is named after the steel or iron pot in which it is cooked.<ref name="Sen2009"/> The word is found in Hindustani, Odia, and Bengali, and means "bucket".<ref>Hobson-Jobson: Being a Glossary of Anglo-Indian Colloquial Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, by Col. Henry Yule and the late Arthur C. Burnell. London: John Murray, 1886, page 40.</ref> The word developed from the Portuguese balde, meaning bucket or pail, and traveled to the Indian subcontinent via the Portuguese seafaring enterprises of the early 16th century. The word likely made its way into the English language during the time of British India.
According to Pat Chapman, a food writer, the origins of the word can be traced to the area of Baltistan, in the northern part of the region of Kashmir, where a cast-iron wok, similar to the Chinese wok, is used for cooking. Baltistan shares a border with China. In his Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook, Chapman states: Template:Quote
However, Colleen Taylor Sen states that the origins of balti gosht are unclear, as the food eaten in Baltistan "bears no resemblance" to balti gosht.<ref name="Sen2009"/> As such, the name of the food may have originated from the fact that it is cooked in a pot named a baltī, similar to a karahi from the same region.<ref name="Sen2009">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Khanna2013">Template:Cite book</ref>
Another claim is that the dish was first served in 1977 in a restaurant called Adil's. At that time, the restaurant was located in Stoney Lane, Sparkbrook, and after some time relocated to another area, but has since returned to its original place in Stoney Lane.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BBCBalti/>
Balti houses
Balti restaurants are often known in Birmingham as 'balti houses'. Some have a plate of glass on the table top with menus secured beneath.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Balti houses typically offer large karack naan bread pieces, to be shared by the whole table.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Balti houses were originally clustered along and behind the main road between Sparkhill and Moseley, to the south of Birmingham city centre. This area, comprising Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane, and Stratford Road, is sometimes called the Balti Triangle, as it contains a high concentration of balti restaurants. On 28 July 2005, a tornado caused extensive damage to buildings in the triangle,<ref>birmingham.gov.uk : Birmingham tornado Template:Webarchive</ref> forcing many restaurants to close. Most reopened by the beginning of 2006 but by 2023 only four remained.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Since the late 1990s, British supermarkets have stocked a growing range of prepacked balti meals, and the balti restaurant sector has faced increasing competition both from retail and from changes in customer tastes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
Further reading
- Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook, Piatkus, London — Template:ISBN & Template:ISBN (1993)
- Modern Balti Curries, above title republished by John Blake Publishing, London (2006)
- Pat Chapman’s Balti Bible, Hodder & Stoughton, London — Template:ISBN & Template:ISBN (1998)
- 2009 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London — Template:ISBN
External links
Template:Curry in the United Kingdom Template:Indian Dishes Template:Pakistani dishes