Hyderabadi pilgrims desperate for ‘khatti dal chawal’ in Madinah

Hyderabadi pilgrims moving from Makkah to Madinah, after Haj before returning home, are facing a difficult time in finding food of their choice.

Jeddah: Most Indian Haj pilgrims, especially from southern parts of the country, are facing a critical challenge of availability of ethnic food in the holy city of Madinah.

The Indian pilgrims including from Telangana moving from Makkah to Madinah, after Haj before returning home, are facing a difficult time in finding food of their choice. Unlike in Makkah, there is prohibition of cooking inside the pilgrim accommodation in Madinah. The pilgrims have no other option than eating at restaurants. A few restaurants that largely serve Pakistani cuisine that have similarity with Mughlai dishes, also far from pilgrims’ accommodation.

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However, pilgrims of Hyderabad and other parts of southern India have a common complaint of lack of rice. Rice is the staple food in the south and there are no eateries serving rice in the vicinity of pilgrims’ accommodation.

Many Hyderabadi pilgrims are passing through miserable times and desperately looking for ethnic food, some say “We don’t want lamb dum ki biryani but khatti dal and chawal is fair enough.”

“I had ordered rice only to be end up without eating as it was cooked entirely different from our way, and it was hard to consume tandoori bread,” said a pilgrim who returned to Hyderabad.

Though there are three restaurants serving Hyderabadi cuisine in the holy city of Madinah, however, all three are far away from the pilgrim’s accommodation area known as Awali nearby Bilal Mosque. The taxi fares are much higher than the food charges.

Some Hyderabadi ethnic eateries used to deliver the food in bulk previously, however, owing to local food regulations, they have stopped delivery service this year, said a source.