What Did the Mughals Eat? (2024)

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What Did the Mughals Eat? ›

Slow-cooked stews and biryanis would be sealed in the tandoor. Meat-based - The Mughal rulers were mostly Muslim and Hindu which explains the absence of pork and beef from its cuisine. Instead, meats like lamb, mutton (goat), chicken and even fish were used as the main protein.

Whenever Mughal cuisine comes up for discussion, meat takes centre stage, though Aurangzeb, a known hardjawed religious personality, preferred not to eat meat. He rather fancied vegetarian dishes like panchmel dal, which is made evident in 'Rukat-e Alamgiri' a book comprising a bunch of Aurangzeb's letters to his son.

Mutton and chicken curries were common. Fruits and Nuts: Mughal kings also enjoyed a selection of fruits and nuts as part of their diet. These included pomegranates, melons, almonds, and pistachios. Mughlai Sweets: The Mughals had a sweet tooth, and their cuisine included a variety of rich and sweet desserts.

We can be sure that when Mughal cooks made biryani, they did not use potatoes because the vegetable itself was only introduced to India by Europeans. (It was discovered in South America.)

Nihari: The Breakfast Of The Mughals

' This dish was originally eaten by Nawabs in the Mughal empire for breakfast after their morning prayers. It was originally only meant to be eaten as a breakfast dish, especially in cold mornings, on an empty stomach.

Opium and alcohol feature prominently during the reigns of all six emperors and the strength of their narcotic properties far exceeds other intoxicants used by the Mughals. Both substances are highly addictive and have the power to wreak profound influences on the life of the user and others around them.

But Akbar was a frugal eater, often preferring to eat alone. He was a vegetarian three days a week, drank only Ganga water for its purity and had his own kitchen garden, where plants were sprinkled with rose water. Jahangir, a gourmand, enjoyed lavish feasts, and loved adding exotic dishes to the menu.

Killing cows or transporting beef in states such as Haryana, Jharkand or Jammu and Kashmir is punishable by large fines and up to 10 years' prison. Beef consumption is permitted in only eight of India's 29 states and territories.

Gandhi came from a vegetarian Gujarati family and never ate meat in his life, except for a brief period as a schoolboy, when he did so at the urging of his elder brother's friend who convinced him that the English were able to rule over Indians because they were meat-eaters.

1605 – Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, died of dysentery. On 3 October 1605, he fell ill with an attack of dysentery, from which he never recovered. He is believed to have died on or about 27 October 1605, after which his body was buried at a mausoleum in Agra, present-day India.

What was Mughal weakness? ›

The absence of a strong ruler, an efficient bureaucracy and a capable army had made the Mughal Empire weak. Marathas, the Jats and the Rajputs had drained the resources of the Mughal Empire.

The Mughals did not really look like East Asians. However, the earlier Mughals did have a Turko-Mongol physical appearance. This would be a more Central Asian appearance, rather than East Asian. This isn't really surprising though, considering that the earlier Mughals were Turks.

Meat-based - The Mughal rulers were mostly Muslim and Hindu which explains the absence of pork and beef from its cuisine. Instead, meats like lamb, mutton (goat), chicken and even fish were used as the main protein.

Akbar's Dietary Habits: Akbar followed a vegetarian diet for three days each week, savoring dishes like Sanbusas (Samosas) and a ghee-infused spinach dish called "sag."

Akbar. Akbar was a vegetarian for 3 days a week and for the other days, he used to relish on the traditional Mughlai food like Murgh Musallam and Navratan Korma.

According to Pratibha Karan, who wrote the book Biryani, biryani is of Mughal origin, derived from pilaf varieties brought to the Indian subcontinent by Arab traders. She speculates that the pulao was an army dish in medieval India. Armies would prepare a one-pot dish of rice with whichever meat was available.

But some of the common spices that can be found in these bags include cloves, black and green cardamoms, peppercorns, cumin, star anise, coriander, fennel, dried rose petals, saffron, bay leaves, dried coconut and fenugreek. Another popular Mughal spice used in Lucknowi food is saffron.