logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2018
28m 39s

Birmingham's Beloved Balti

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

For food writer Yasmin Khan, the Balti conjures up family meals out in her childhood home of Birmingham where she would regularly tuck into deep bowls of the city's most iconic dish -- richly spiced chicken or lamb, that she scooped up with freshly made warm naan breads.

In it's heyday, the Sparkhill area of Birmingham was saturated with Balti restaurants, so much so that it became known as the "Balti Triangle", a place which defined Birmingham's food scene and became one of the few parts of the UK where working class, immigrant, food was celebrated.

Since then, the Balti has grown in reputation as one of Britain's truly regional dishes, so much so that a bid was made, albeit unsuccessfully, to give it protected EU status.

Now, Yasmin heads back to Birmingham to explore what this uniquely British-Pakistani dish means to a new generation of people growing up in the so-called 'Balti Triangle'. What she finds is a community with strong bonds and deep pride, that continues to come together around a deep love of food.

Presented by Yasmin Khan Produced in Bristol by Clare Salisbury.

Up next
Jul 24
Inside the Chocolate Crisis
Soaring cacao prices broke all records and then they crashed. Dan Saladino explores the fallout, the impact on farmers, their communities, industry players and chocolate lovers.Produced and presented by Dan Saladino 
41m 34s
Jul 17
How Pistachios Took Over
They’re in your chocolate, your gelato, even your coffee - pistachios seem to be everywhere at the moment - bolstered by the craze for Dubai Chocolate. In this episode Leyla Kazim asks what happens when the world seems to fall in love with one ingredient. She explores how the Uni ... Show More
43m 1s
Jul 10
Howzat? The Story of the Cricket Tea
Chef and broadcaster Romy Gill heads to the pavilion to explore cricket's relationship with food. She discovers that the supposedly British institution of the cricket tea was in fact a tradition imported from Australia in the 1880s. She visits Lord's - the Home of Cricket - and i ... Show More
42m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2024
How ‘Bangla Town’ changed a nation's food culture
<p>An Indian curry house is one of the most popular places to go out for a meal in the UK, and is part of British life. But many people do not know their origins lie in what is now Bangladesh, after a wave of migration from there in the 1970s. </p><p>Devina Gupta traces their hi ... Show More
27m 11s
Jul 2018
Yasmin Khan's Fattoush
Yasmin Khan's adaptable and refreshing recipe for a citrusy Palestinian salad. 
8m 50s
Mar 2022
Separate duvets, Asma Khan, South Asian women in Regency England
Ammu, a term used mostly in South Asian Muslim homes for mother, is the title of Asma Khan’s new book. Part memoir, part cookbook 'Ammu' is a celebration of the food she loves to make but also of the woman who nurtured her and taught her to cook. Drawing on her experiences during ... Show More
57m 35s
Sep 2008
Local delicacies
Local delicacies 
28s
Aug 2020
Ravinder Bhogal's Coffee Rasgullas with Mascarpone Ice Cream and Espresso Caramel
Ravinder Bhogal celebrates immigrant cuisine and tells the stories of marginalised women. 
8m 38s