There are extremely cold days in this winter season. The temperature is falling. The morning has started with fog. The most hit and favorite drink of this season is soup. Do you know what kind of soups the Mughal emperors liked? If we talk about books and historical facts, we come to know that Mughal kings liked 8 types of soups. There were veg as well as non-veg soup in it. Well, the story of soup is no less interesting.
A cookbook written during the reign of Shahjahan was written – “Recipe-e-Shahjahani”. It tells about interesting recipes of the Mughal royal kitchen. This tongue-watering cookbook tells about many dishes like pulao, kebab, fish, samosas, sweets and bread, which the Mughals loved, but it specifically mentions 8 soups. There is an entire chapter in this book on soup.
In which the fragrance of various spices and herbs is mentioned. It tells how by the time Shahjahan came, food influenced by Indian traditions started being prepared in the royal kitchen of the Mughals. The herbs and spices used in them started to smell from the royal kitchen to the dastarkhavan. When this aroma reached the nose of people passing by the kitchen, their appetite would automatically increase.
The cookbook provides detailed information on how to cook items such as naan, aash (soup), kalia and do-piyaza (lamb cooked with onions and vegetables), bharta, zeer biryani and pulao along with kebabs, harissa, shisharanga and khagina (various types of grilled meats) and shiriniha (a Mughal sweet). By the way, let us tell you that the many types of soups prepared in the royal kitchen of the Mughal kings, especially Shahjahan, were inspired by Persian influence.
What were these 8 types of soups?
This cookbook tells about 8 types of soups. These soups were made by mixing sheep, chicken, vegetables, wheat, rice etc. Everyone had different names.
1. Aash-e-Keshtaleh – Thick soup with lamb meat, vegetables and wheat noodles.
2. Aash-e-Bawardi – Thick curd soup with bread filled with lamb meat
3. Aash-e-Lang Barah (thick yogurt-flavored lamb soup with noodles.
4. Aash Lang Barah Chashnidar – Sweet lamb soup with vegetables and noodles.
5. Aash-e-Sangsheer – Lamb meat soup with gram and vegetables.
6. Aash-e-Nakhudi – Thick sweet soup of lamb meat and vegetables.
7. Shorbe Nakhudaab – Soup made from chicken parts.
8. Shorbe Gosht – minced lamb soup with rice
Abul Fazal’s book Ain-e-Akbari The dishes of Mughal kitchen have been explained in detail. In which soups like Keema Shorba and Yakhni are mentioned. These were meat-based and prepared with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and ghee. The book Khulasat-e-Makulat u Mashrubat, written during the reign of Aurangzeb, also mentions dishes like stews and soups, which were in both non-vegetarian and vegetarian forms.
part of the royal meal
In the 15th century Delhi Sultanate’s book Neemtnama, soups have been described as healthy and nutritious. These were considered part of the royal diet, rich in spices but balanced. All these books say that the Mughal emperor and his court used to consume soup regularly, and there were many reasons behind it, from increasing appetite to health and cultural reasons.
Light, digestive and nutritious
Mughal food was often heavy, spicy and protein-rich. Soup was considered light, digestive and nutritious, preparing the digestive system before starting the meal. Soups with specific ingredients were used for cold, weakness, or illness. Jahangir’s memoirs mention drinking chicken broth during illness.
The Mughals believed in the Unani Tibetan system of medicine, according to which soups were useful for balancing the body’s four “doshas” (kapha, pitta, vata, sandra). For example, soups with hot flavor (such as duck or mutton) were consumed in winter. Soup was also used as the basis for other dishes. Yakhni was prepared by boiling meat or bones for a long time, which was used to cook gravy or rice.
served as a starting course
Soup was served as the first course at banquets to whet the appetite of the guests. They should be prepared for heavy non-vegetarian dishes. During long journeys, hunting expeditions or war, soup was an energy-dense food that was easily digested. The Turko-Mongol ancestors of the Mughals used to consume a lot of soup in cold areas. Aash (Persian soup) was a major dish in Persian culture. However, the tradition of Yakhni/Shorba already existed in India, which was adopted and refined by the Mughals.
Where did soup originate?
The soup is primarily a product of Central Asian and Persian influence. India already had liquid dishes such as rasam or broth, but Mughal-style broth is of Central Asian Persian origin, popularized in India by the Mughals. By the way, soup is said to be one of the oldest food items in the world, which predates human civilization. Archaeological evidence suggests that soups were being made as early as 20,000 BC – such as burn marks on pots found in caves in China, which indicate hot soups were made.
world’s best soup
According to Taste Atlas and CNN’s list, Thailand’s Tam Kha Gai often remains on top among soups around the world. This is chicken soup with coconut milk. It is creamy, sour-sweet-spicy. The most authentic one is made in Thailand only. People drink it a lot at street food stalls in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. By the way, these soups are considered good all over the world.
– Japan’s Tonkotsu (pork bone broth, best in Fukuoka)
– Vietnamese Pho (beef or chicken noodle soup, Hanoi style is most famous)
– French bouillabaisse (seafood soup, original in Marseille)
– Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup of China
All these soups remain in the top ranking of Taste Atlas.
Which country has the highest consumption?
Soup is consumed most in European countries, especially in Britain and the Netherlands. In Germany and France, the per capita consumption of soup is considered to be 9 litres, while in Russia and Eastern Europe too, soup is a daily staple. In Asia, noodle soups are widely eaten in Japan, Vietnam and South Korea.
