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Indian
restaurants across the country could be banned from selling
"Balti" dishes as council chiefs in the city credited with
its invention seek to protect the name, it has been revealed.
Birmingham City Council wants to
help restaurants in the city, which it said was the
"birthplace" of the popular curry dish, by applying to
protect the Balti name.
The bid could mean a ban for
restaurants outside Birmingham's "Balti Triangle" from
serving a "Balti".
The true balti, it was explained,
is cooked in a specially designed pan made of very thin steel rather
than cast iron, which heats up almost immediately it is placed over a
flame and allows the food to be cooked very quickly. Balti at its
best is made with tomatoes and onions, ginger and garlic, meat and
vegetables and a handful of spices. Very little oil is used and the
final result should be fresh, not overpowered by heat or spice and
served with a large nan bread rather than rice. It is said to be, as
those who have ever tried a good one will know, a thing of great beauty..
It would seem that the members of
Birmingham City Council are going into battle to protect the name and
make sure that only those dishes made in the balti triangle and
Birmingham can carry the name.
The Balti was the unique creation
of one particular area and of one particular community at one
particular time and, as anyone has tried the real thing will tell
you, is a million miles away from what you will probably find in your
local curry house.
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