Global Rice News

Cricket World Cup Rivalry Drives Love for Biryani

Cricket and biryani are a perfect match, just like baseball and hot dogs. As the most anticipated game of the Cricket World Cup approaches, the rivalry between Pakistan and India is heating up. While their cricket teams are bitter rivals, fans on both sides can agree on one thing: biryani is the ultimate cricket match comfort food. Biryani, a delicious rice dish, is a favorite all across the Indian subcontinent. The area surrounding the World Cup stadium in East Meadow, N.Y. is full of desi restaurants that serve up various styles of biryani.

Near Eisenhower Park, the three closest biryani shops offer halal meat, restricted beef options, and a variety of vegetarian dishes. However, the star of the show at all three restaurants is the biryani.

Biryani has become synonymous with cricket due to the sport’s format. Cricket matches can last up to five days, giving fans plenty of time to enjoy multiple meals throughout the day. The breaks in play are even named after mealtimes. Although the World Cup format is much shorter, comparable to a baseball game in length, there is still a pause before each play that allows fans to indulge in a spoonful of meat, rice, yogurt, and other condiments.

There are more than 35 different types of biryanis found throughout the Indian subcontinent, with each city offering its own unique flavors. Like the rivalry between Pakistan and India, this diversity is also reflected in biryani choices. In India, vegetarian biryani is more popular, as well as chicken and mutton biryani. Beef, which is avoided by most Hindus, is not commonly found in Indian biryanis. On the other hand, in Pakistan, meat biryani is more prevalent, but pork is never used due to Islamic dietary restrictions.

At Sahar’s Kitchen and Chai, a restaurant in East Meadow, owner Mohammed Rehman offers a Karachi-style biryani with the raita (a yogurt sauce) served on the side. Rehman, who comes from a Bangladeshi family, loves watching cricket while enjoying a plate of biryani. He describes the differences between subcontinental biryanis, stating that Pakistani biryani is drier with more sauce on top, Indian biryani has more spices, and Bangladeshi biryani is more curried.

The Royale Restaurant & Bar is another popular destination for biryani lovers. Despite serving alcohol and meat dishes, the restaurant accommodates its diverse clientele, including devout Muslims and vegetarians. The owner, Amrinder Singh, believes in respecting all religions and ethnicities and is happy to modify recipes based on customers’ needs. The Royale’s menu showcases the diversity of biryani, with options like prawn biryani and cheese biryani, in addition to the authentic Indian biryani from Hyderabad.

Finally, there’s Spice & Curry Kabab & Grill, the oldest desi restaurant in the area. Despite being labeled as a Pakistani restaurant, Spice & Curry doesn’t include beef biryani on its regular menu and only makes it upon special request. Owner Naveed Haroon explains that beef biryani isn’t very common, but they do offer vegetarian options like chickpea biryani. Both Indian and Pakistani customers enjoy biryani while watching cricket screenings at Royale and Spice & Curry, where banter between the two rival nations remains friendly.

The owners of these desi restaurants believe that the Cricket World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S. will significantly boost the sport’s popularity in the country, introducing biryani to a wider audience. They are prepared to cater to the diverse needs of their customers and are proud to showcase the cooking process behind their biryani dishes.

So, whether you support Team India or Team Pakistan, one thing is for certain – the love for both cricket and biryani unites fans. As Amrinder Singh from Royale says, “The food is going to unite the love. No matter what kind of rivalry they have on the field, when they’ll be back, they’ll enjoy the food.”