Corporate employees on a haleem pubbing spree

The plate of meat from the by lanes of the Old City is now available in every nook and corner. During the month of Ramzan, youngsters, software professionals and corporate employees make it a point to hop from one haleem joint to another.Heated debates on where one can find the best haleem, where the onions are fried best and which topping is the best is commonplace.

Photos of the delicacy are exchanged, reviews are written by foodies and blogs are full of haleem eating experiences.Employees make plans to visit different haleem centres. Raghu, an employee with Rapid Insys, says, “Until last year two friends would go haleem pubbing but now the trend is to go in groups of four or more. We make sure that we visit at least twice a week.”

There are people who have haleem almost every day during the month of Ramzan. Rahamatullah, a septuagenarian and resident of Gosha Mahal says, “Earlier people from Secunderabad and other parts of the city would travel all the way to the old city just to have haleem but ever since Pista House and others started opening outlets in different parts of the city, haleem became popular.”

During the 50s, haleem was available only in Madina Hotel and a few places in Barkas. Essentially an Arabic dish, it arrived in Hyderabad and found favour with the Nizams. Meena Nagaraj, software professional, says, “It has now become fashionable to visit as many haleem centres as possible. My friends have already chalked out a plan for the next week and the places they would be visiting starting with Shadaab.”