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Tehri (dish)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tehri
Tahri with kachumbar salad
CourseMain course
Place of originIndia
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredients

Tehri or tahri (also rarely tapahri[1]) is a yellow rice dish in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Spices are added to plain cooked rice for flavor and colour. In one version of tehri, potatoes are added to the rice.[2]

Etymology

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As per Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary, the Hindi word tehri is derived from the Sanskrit word tāpaharī,[3][1] which is a dish prepared from rice, dal chunks (badi), and vegetables, cooked in ghee with spices, especially turmeric.[4]

Origin

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The recipe for Tahari is mentioned with name Tapahari in ancient Ayurvedic treatise written in Sanskrit language, which was a preparation of rice cooked with vegetables and other ingredients.[4][5] The recipe for Tahari also finds mention in Pakadarpana (1200 CE) cookbook, which uses meat of hen.[6] Bhojanakutūhala (1675 CE) Sanskrit book on cookery and culinary traditions mentions taharī rice dish and it was eaten with side-dish of fried lentil fitters known as "vaṭakas". The ingredients for cooking tāpaharī in both text varies but are similar in technique; It was made with rice seasoned with spice-blend called "Trikatu" and "Trijataka" along with ghee, turmeric, wet ginger, asafoetida, water and salt. Pakadarpana cookbook adds meat of hen to this before cooking. In Bhojanakuthuhala, this rice dish was eaten with fried fritters known as Vaṭakas prepared from black-gram flour, rice flour and mixed with turmeric and fried in ghee. This preparation was called taharī or tāpaharī.[5][6] Recipe also finds mentioned in Bhāvaprakāśa Nighaṇṭu, a 16th-century medical treatise.[7]

Popularity

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Tahari became more popular during the Second World War when meat prices increased substantially and potato became the popular substitute in biryani.[8] In Muhajir families of Pakistan, it is considered as a royal traditional dish. Some variants include addition of mutton, beef or chicken, specially when served in feasts.

References

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  1. ^ a b TEAM, YCT EXPERT. SANSKRIT LANGUAGE & TEACHING (UP-TET/C-TET) (in Hindi). Youth Competition Times.
  2. ^ "Tehri". Archived from the original on 2020-05-10. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  3. ^ Bhāvamiśra (1966). Bhāvaprakāśanighantuh (in Hindi). Motīlāla Banārasīdāsa.
  4. ^ a b "Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary --त". sanskrit.inria.fr. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  5. ^ a b www.wisdomlib.org (2020-02-04). "Tapahari, Tāpaharī: 3 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  6. ^ a b Madhulika (2013). Pākadarpaṇa of Nala: (Text and English Translation with Critical Notes). Chaukhambha Orientalia, a House of Oriental, Antiquarian and Ayurvedic Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-81-7637-241-1. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  7. ^ Meulenbeld, Gerrit Jan (1999). A History of Indian Medical Literature. E. Forsten. p. 208. ISBN 978-90-6980-124-7.
  8. ^ Taste the Tehri. Archived 2016-11-08 at archive.today