Haleem gets Geographical Indication status

HYDERABAD - The savoured Haleem dish, a mouth-watering delicacy of Hyderabad, has been awarded the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) status, clearing the way for a possible patent in the future.

It will now be known as Hyderabad Haleem since it has acquired GI status of Government of India.

“This GI foundation is all ours. We have an Association named Hyderabad Haleem Makers Association. The motive of this Association is that Hyderabad Haleem is very famous and its name was tainted, as many were selling fake Haleem, named as Hyderabad Haleem. To stop that, we have started this. We don’t want to stop them but they can’t take our tag as we have a standard,” said Mohammad Abdul Majid, the owner of an eatery called Pista House.

ajid says that getting the GI tag is an accomplishment in itself, as only few items have got these tags like the Varanasi’s silk, Tirupati’s ‘laddoos’, and Kolhapur’s slippers.

Hyderabad Haleem is cooked on wood fire to maintain its aroma. It takes a lot of time to prepare it.

“We have a standard, we use mutton and ghee. Pulses and spices should be used after lab testing. While cooking hygiene should be maintained and Haleem should be cooked on wood fire. The standard time to cook Haleem is 12 hours. If cooked at low heat, Haleem’s aroma will be maintained,” said Majid.

Muslims enjoy Haleem, the Ramadan month’s most popular dish that hails from the south. Made from mutton or chicken or a combination of the two, the meats are stewed with spices, wheat and lentils until tender.

The dish is so popular that restaurants in cities such as Mumbai and Chennai bring in chefs all the way from Hyderabad to cook it.

Ramadan is considered to be the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk-a discipline believed to better their souls.

This year the month of Ramadan commenced on August 12. by Ranjeet (ANI)