When India and Pakistan meet in the Cricket World Cup, opposing fans will have a favorite food in common: NPR

The most anticipated match of the Cricket World Cup might just be Sunday’s Pakistan-India match. The nations are bitter rivals and their cricket teams rarely meet. There is, however, one thing their fans agree on: Biryani is the best thing to eat at a cricket match. The rice dish is a favorite dish throughout the Indian subcontinent. Every culture has its own way of preparing biryani, but desi restaurants around the World Cup stadium in East Meadow, New York, are accustomed to serving multiple styles.

Each of the three biryani shops closest to Eisenhower Park Stadium offers halal meat, limited beef options, and a range of vegetarian dishes. But the most popular dish on the menus of all three restaurants is biryani.

Biryani became associated with cricket partly because of the format of the sport. The oldest version of the game lasts five days. Fans eat several meals from early morning to evening. Breaks in the play are even named after meal times. The World Cup format is much shorter, about as long as a baseball game. But in any format of cricket, there is a long break before each game. This is the perfect time to spoon meat, rice, yogurt and other condiments.

There are over 35 kinds of biryanis across the Indian subcontinent, with each city offering different flavors. Like cricket, the Indo-Pakistani rivalry is also played out over biryani. Vegetarian biryani is more popular in India, as are chicken and mutton, but not beef, which most Hindus avoid. In Pakistan, meat biryani is more common, but Never pork, which is prohibited in Islam.

Sahar Cuisine and Chai — Karachi Style

In East Meadow, desi restaurants have a Hindu and Muslim clientele. At Sahar’s Kitchen and Chai, Mohammed Rehman, from a Bangladeshi family, offers a Karachi-style biryani with raita, a yogurt sauce, on the side – iconic Pakistani flavors!

Rehman loves watching cricket with a plate of biryani. “Biryani is quick to eat and fills you up,” he says, adding descriptions of various subcontinental biryanis. “Pakistani is drier, with more sauce on it. The Indian has more spices. And Bangladesh is more curry.

La Royale — biryani diversity

The Royale Restaurant & Bar serves alcohol and meat dishes, but that hasn’t stopped devout Muslims and religiously vegetarian Hindus from eating there. For Royale owner Amrinder Singh, this reflects India’s diversity. “We are very respectful to any religion, any ethnicity,” Singh says, adding that although his restaurant prepares all of its dishes in one place, he is happy to modify recipes according to diners’ needs.

Subcontinental diversity is reflected in Royale’s menu, which also includes prawn biryani and cheese biryani. This is the go-to place for authentic Indian biryani in Hyderabad.

Spices and Curry – a long-time favorite for all kinds of people

The East Meadow Biryani Trail ends at Spice & Curry Kabab & Grill, the area’s oldest desi restaurant. Although it describes itself as a Pakistani restaurant, Spice & Curry does not offer beef biryani on its menu. “Beef biryani is not very common. We prepare it on special orders. We also customize vegetarian options including chana (chickpea) biryani,” says owner Naveed Haroon.

Indian and Pakistani patrons attend biryani-laden cricket screenings at Royale and Spice & Curry. Although Indo-Pakistani banter prevails, there is no trace of hostility. “It’s all politics. In Nassau County there is a large population of Indians and Pakistanis. And they get along well,” Haroon said.

Royale owner Amrinder Singh echoes the same sentiment, citing the example of his former Pakistani roommate. “He lives in Virginia. He comes to see me, I go to see him. The emotions are the same.”

Singh and Haroon agree that having the United States co-host the Cricket World Cup will significantly increase the popularity of the sport in the United States and, at the same time, introduce biryani to a wider audience. But are they ready to cater to a large number of diverse customers? The answer lies in the kitchen of Spice & Curry, where the chef shows you how the restaurant’s biryani is prepared.

First, the oil enters a day, a large pot. Then they add a bag of dried onions and fresh tomato puree, followed by a number of spices including red chili powder, turmeric powder and zeera coriander. Once the sauce is ready, add the basmati rice. Meat or vegetables are added separately to create different biryanis.

Even though customers may have their favorite cricket team or biryani, they are bonded by the love of both. “Food will unite love. No matter what kind of rivalry they have on the field, when they come back, they will enjoy the food,” Singh said.