To many in the subcontinent, biryani is an emotion and a meditation: Patiently waiting, mostly on Sundays, for spiced meat or veggies and fragrant rice to be cooked on dum, as the aromas waft gently through the rooms. A whiff of rose water amidst the sombre, whispering tones of light spices that perk up each long grain of rice, while the low flame heats up the medley slowly, but evenly. Biryani is a song that draws you in layer by layer—it lights up parts of your brain as fond memories wake up—childhood nostalgia, celebratory feasts, the first time you tasted it, and the rising defence for each’s personal choice for a type of biryani.

It is broadly believed  that biryani arrived with the Mughals, and Tamil and Malayali workers spread it to  South East Asia. A push-cart vendor inspects his creation in old Delhi. Pic/Getty Images