Haleem

Haleem is the most popular dish prepared during Ramzan in Hyderabad. It is prepared with meat and pounded wheat as its primary ingredients along with spices. The Haleem industry is worth upwards of INR 500 cr (~60 million USD) (2018).

In the last decade, the Hyderabadi Haleem was awarded a Gl (Geographical Indicator) Tag and was also awarded the ‘Most Popular GI’ in October
2022. Preparing Haleem involves a lot of effort and also requires a special bhatti (oven).

Hyderabadi Haleem which is sold in only a few eateries round the year, is widely sold across Hyderabad during the holy month of Ramzan. Hyderabadi Haleem is different than its  counterparts in the rest of the subcontinent and the mix of mashed meat, wheat and ghee slow is cooked inside an insulated vessel known as the Haleem ki Bhatti for hours, where it is mashed with a large wooden masher known as the Haleem ka Ghota.

Haleem is said to be introduced by the Arab disapora in the army of the VI Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan. Another Arab of Yemeni origins, Sultan Saif Nawaz Jung, is credited to have popularised it in Hyderabad in the early 20th century.