Balti (food): Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Type of curry cooked and eaten in a thin, pressed-steel wok called a "balti bowl"}}

[[File:Balti gosht.jpg|thumb|A lamb version of ''balti gosht'']]

A '''balti''' or '''bāltī gosht''' ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|بالٹی گوشت}}}}, {{langx|hi|बाल्टी गोश्त}}) is a type of [[curry]] served in a thin, pressed-steel [[wok]] called a "balti bowl". The name may have come from the metal dish in which the curry is cooked, rather than from any specific ingredient or cooking technique. ''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 [[onion]]s, with [[turmeric]] and ''[[garam masala]]'', among other spices.

''Balti gosht'' is eaten in [[North India]] and some parts of [[Pakistan]], as well as other parts of the world, such as Great Britain. The British version of Balti was developed in [[Birmingham]] in 1977.

==Origin, history and etymology==

[[File:Balti Gosht.JPG|thumb|''Balti gosht'' in Pakistan]]

The word is found in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]], [[Odia language|Odia]], and [[Bengali language|Bengali]], and means "bucket". 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 Raj|British India]].

According to [[Pat Chapman (food writer)|Pat Chapman]], a [[food writing|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 cookware|cast-iron wok]], similar to the Chinese wok, is used for cooking. Baltistan shares a border with China. In his ''[[Curry Club Magazine|Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook]],'' Chapman states: {{quote|The balti pan is a round-bottomed, wok-like heavy cast-iron dish with two handles. ... The origins of Balti cooking are wide ranging and owe as much to China (with a slight resemblance to the spicy [[Sichuan cuisine|cooking of Sichuan]]) and [[Tibetan cuisine|Tibet]], as well as to the ancestry of the [[Mirpur, Azad Kashmir|Mirpur]]is, the [[Mughlai cuisine|tastes]] of the [[Mughal emperors|Moghul emperors]], the aromatic spices of [[Kashmiri cuisine|Kashmir]], and the 'winter foods' of lands high in the mountains.|author=|title=|source=}}

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.'' As such, the name of the food may have originated from the fact that '' bāltī gosht'' is cooked in a pot resembling a ''baltī'', the Hindustani word for bucket.

Another claim regarding the origin of ''balti'' cooking in Birmingham was that it 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 since has returned to its original place in Stoney Lane.

==Balti houses==

[[File:Shops on Essex Street - Cafe Tandoori Balti and Rainbow Cars.jpg|thumb|Balti restaurant on Essex Street in Birmingham]]

''Balti'' restaurants are often known in Birmingham as 'balti houses'. Some balti houses have a plate of glass on the table top with menus secured beneath. Balti houses typically offer large ''karack'' [[naan]] bread pieces, to be shared by the whole table.

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 still sometimes referred to as the '''Balti Triangle''', and contains a high concentration of ''balti'' restaurants. On 28 July 2005, a [[Birmingham Tornado (UK)|tornado]] caused extensive damage to buildings in the triangle, forcing many restaurants to close. Most reopened by the beginning of 2006 but by 2023 only four remained.

''Balti'' restaurants have now spread beyond the triangle, and can also be found in the south of Birmingham, along the Pershore Rd in [[Stirchley, West Midlands|Stirchley]]. [[Lye, West Midlands|Lye]] near [[Stourbridge]] to the west of Birmingham has become known as the 'Balti Mile' with up to a dozen restaurants clustered along the High Street.

The food and its style of presentation proved very popular during the 1980s, and popularity grew in the 1990s. ''Balti'' restaurants gradually opened up throughout the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], and then a large part of [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. The expanded curry market in Britain is now said to take in 4 billion pounds sterling per year.

Outside Britain, a small number of balti houses are in [[Ireland]] and many other English-speaking countries, particularly [[Australia]], [[Canada]], and [[New Zealand]].

Since the late 1990s, British supermarkets have stocked a growing range of prepacked balti meals, and the ''balti'' restaurant sector has since faced increasing competition from the retail sector and from changes in customer tastes, along with other traditional South Asian and Indian restaurants.

==See also==

*[[Pakistani cuisine]]

*[[Chicken tikka masala]]

==Further reading==

* ''Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook'', [[Piatkus]], London — {{ISBN|0-7499-1214-6}} & {{ISBN|0-7499-1342-8}} (1993)

* ''2009 [[Cobra Beer|Cobra]] Good Curry Guide'', [[John Blake Publishing]], London — {{ISBN|1-84454-311-0}}

{{Indian Dishes|state=collapsed}}

{{Pakistani dishes|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Baltistan]]

[[Category:British cuisine]]

[[Category:Pakistani cuisine in the United Kingdom]]

{{二次利用|date=12 April 2025, at 20:21}}