Nihari comes from the Arabic nahaar (نهار), meaning "morning". It was originally eaten by Nawabs in the Mughal Empire as a breakfast item after their Islamic morning prayer of Fajr.[3]
Popularity
Nihari is a traditional dish of Muslims of Delhi, Bhopal and Lucknow. After the Partition of British India and creation of Pakistan in 1947, many Urdu speaking Muslims from northern India migrated to Karachi and established restaurants. In Karachi, Nihari became a roaring success[4] and soon was found all over Pakistan. Now Nihari is available in Pakistani restaurants around the world. A particular favorite is nalli nihari, which is made with marrow added to nihari, and makes the stew very rich. In some restaurants, a few kilos from each day's leftover Nihari is added to the next day's pot. This re-used portion of Nihari is called taar and is believed to provide the unique flavour. Some Nihari outlets in old Delhi boast of an unbroken taar going back more than a century.[5]