Hyderabadi Irani Chai

Being Hyderabadi myself is always in search of the uniquness of Hyderabad whether its about famous lacq bangles or the nizam's heritage structures or mouth watering biryani.The list is infinite.So here goes another delicacy of Hyderabad.

There are a few things which can be called quintessentially Hyderabadi and of those is the Irani chai.

Meeting over a cup of Irani chai is almost a part and parcel of the daily routine and is liked by all..

It has a unique taste that no tea vending machine can provide.

Now one can ask what is so special about it?Although the additives, which comprise of milk powder, milkmaid, chocolate, biscuit flavour, lemon slices, Elaichi (Cinnamon) and Adrak (Ginger), etc. are just anybody’s guess and brewed in aluminium kettles.

The chai is always sweetish in taste and for some reason only the Assam tealeaves are generally made use of. Irani chai in a wide range of flavours like Pauna,Masala Chai, Kashmiri tea, Golden tea, Special tea, Do not forget to ask for the Khade Chammach ki chai if you have a sweet tooth. It is so named because the cup has so much sugar that the spoon stands upright when inserted to mix! which is served with a plate full of the bow shaped tie biscuits and the salty Osmania biscuits.

When served in a cup and saucer, a lot of locals tend to pour the chai in a saucer and sip it from the edges. It cools faster this way and you can slurp it too.

Irani Chai has an age old history,legend has it that people from Iran came to Hyderabad and they bought the recipe for the tea and hence it is known as 'Irani' chai.

The taste of Irani Chai is the same whether you go in the morning, afternoon or late evening.

There are a lot of cafes in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Few of them listed below

* Madina near Charminar
* Garden in Secunderabad
* Cosmopolitan in Narayanguda
* Olympia in Abids
* Bombay Bakery in Abids
* Grand in Abids
* Embassy in Basheerbagh
* Paradise in Secunderabad
* Alpha in Secunderabad


Once you sip some good Irani Chai you would realize that next time you visit Hyderabad you may miss a trip to Charminar but would not miss to sip Irani Chai.

 

My3,don't forget to slurp from the saucer when you have the chai.Thanks for stepping in.

 

Hi Saby,

Yep one has to give it a try,an idea why don't we have it over the next IL meet,what do you say......