Balti, as a food, is named after the steel or iron pot in which it is cooked. The word is found in Urdu, Hindi, Odia, and Bengali, and means “bucket”. The word developed from the Portuguese balde, meaning bucket or pail, and travelled to the Indian subcontinent via the Portuguese seafaring enterprises of the early 16th century. The word likely made its way into the English language during the British India.
According to Pat Chapman, a food historian, the origins of the word can be traced to the area of Baltistan, in northern Pakistan, where a cast-iron wok, like the Chinese wok, is used for cooking. Baltistan shares a border with China. In his Curry Club Balti Curry Cookbook, Chapman states:
The balti pan is a round-bottomed, wok-like heavy cast-iron dish with two handles.
The origins of Balti cooking are wide ranging and owe as much to China (with a slight resemblance to the spicy cooking of Szechuan) and Tibet, as well as to the ancestry of the Mirpuris, the tastes of the Moghul emperors, the aromatic spices of Kashmir, and the ‘winter foods’ of lands high in the mountains. Truly a dish to present.
Also, pairs with Beef, Vegetables & Seafood