Share
In a landmark announcement by the online travel guide TasteAtlas, India’s Hyderabadi biryani made it to the list of the ‘World’s Best Rice Dishes List Of 2025’, ranking tenth. The recognition, which is part of the guide’s annual ranking features multiple Japanese offerings within the top ten positions—in which the delicacy from the city of Nizams gets a coveted spot. The Japanese Negitorodon bagged the first rank, followed by sushi, kaisendon, otoro nigiri sushi and the arroz tapado from Peru occupying top five positions in the mentioned order. The chart-topper—which is a simple preparation of minced fatty tuna mixed with spring onions is typically eaten spooned over warm rice.
Other Japanese rice offerings such as the chutoro nigiri sushi, nigiri and maki also found a place in the top ten mentions on the list, along with the wali wa kukaanga from Kenya and India’s biryani. Interestingly enough, biryani as a food group was collectively attributed to Iran in the 50th position, along with its chelo featuring on the 16th rank. Other notable mentions included Italy’s mushroom risotto in the 35th position, Spanish paella ranking in the 48th position and Sri Lankan rice and curry in the 18th position. As the only Indian dish featuring on the global list, what makes the Hyderabadi biryani special is its combination of Mughal cooking techniques and flavours of the Deccan plateau.
Also Read:
The ‘dum’ technique which involves sealing the cooking pot with dough usually sees an assembly of partially cooked rice, chicken or mutton, spices, saffron and fried onions—the flavours of which the rice absorbs and cooks to perfection. The two forms of Hyderabadi biryani—kacchi meaning the usage of raw meat and pakki meaning the use of partially-cooked meat, have been features in the royal kitchens of the city from where it was believed to have trickled into the popular culinary heritage that the city now identifies itself with. In comparison to its Lucknowi or Mughlai counterparts, the biryani preparation from Hyderabad is also known for its liberal heat levels and bold flavour.
