India's love for Biryani remains intact: Why it remains the nation's favorite dish

Online food delivery platform Swiggy revealed on Friday that Indians placed 7.6 crore biryani orders in the past 12 months ahead of International Biryani Day, which is celebrated on July 2. People placed 219 orders per minute for their favourite dish, ranging from the aromatic ‘Lucknowi Biryani’ to the spicy ‘Hyderabadi Dum Biryani’, and from the flavourful ‘Kolkata Biryani’ to the fragrant ‘Malabar Biryani’, according to the company.

Bengaluru has the most biryani-serving restaurants with nearly 24,000, followed by Mumbai with over 22,000 and Delhi with over 20,000.

In the first half of 2023, Swiggy’s order analysis revealed some interesting biryani ordering trends. Compared to the same period in 2022, biryani orders have increased by 8.26% in the last five and a half months. Swiggy offers biryani from over 2.6 lakh restaurants across the country, but over 28,000 thousand restaurants specialize in biryani alone.

Biryani consumption was highest in Hyderabad, with 7.2 million orders placed through June. Bengaluru was second with nearly 5 million orders, and Chennai was third with nearly 3 million orders.

A biryani lover from Chennai spent an amount of Rs 31,532 on a single order. “Dum Biryani” has emerged as the undisputed champion with nearly 85 variants and over 6.2 million orders. With 3.5 million orders, Biryani rice came in second, followed by 2.8 million orders for Hyderabadi Biryani.

Why Biryani remains the nation’s favourite dish

Biryani is a crowd favorite dish in India and for good reason. This dish is packed with flavor and can be made to suit any taste. Whether you like your biryani mild or spicy, there’s a version of this dish that will tantalize your taste buds.

Biryani is also a versatile dish that can be made with chicken, lamb, beef, or vegetarian ingredients. No matter what your preference, there’s a biryani recipe out there that’s perfect for you.

So why is biryani so popular in India? We think it has something to do with the fact that this dish is truly a feast for the senses. From the aromas wafting from the pot to the first bite of rice and meat soaked in spices, biryani is an experience that shouldn’t be missed.