There was a time when we would all eagerly wait for the month of Ramzan to relish one particular dish—haleem. But the decades-old Hyderabadi dish is now suffering the brunt of Instagram ‘food reviewers’—tossed around from one reel to another.
Haleem, introduced to Hyderabad by Irani cafes in the late 1940s—many claim that Madina Hotel in the Old City was the first to sell it—is probably the second–biggest marketed item in the city after biryani. I’ve seen haleem ads on streets become bigger and bigger over the years. And this is expected; any city would capitalise on its popular dishes.
However, this new fad of making Instagram reels just for the sake of views and more reach has led to an unimaginable barrage of videos. What’s worse, many food content creators or influencers, especially those who started out as ‘food reviewers’, are getting paid by restaurants for posting ‘favourable’ reviews.
At this point, I barely trust any ‘food review’ reel that pops up on my Instagram feed, barring a few exceptions.
Back to haleem. Over the past two weeks, my Instagram algorithm has sadly coughed up some hilarious reels made by Hyderabad-based ‘food bloggers’, or whatever you want to call them.
I love Haleem and Ramzan, but the gaudy reels are honestly getting out of hand now. One of the videos shows a famous influencer standing outside a restaurant holding a box of haleem. This doesn’t even come close to a review, and is simply crass marketing that anyone can do (although credit to people who actually do it).
Another reel that has been doing rounds on Instagram is ‘Baahubali haleem’ (named after the SS Rajamouli blockbuster).
The creamy meat-lentil dish has now been infused with pieces of mutton and other items–perhaps to make it more attractive. This is beyond belief because haleem itself is made by mashing mutton, lentils, and spices together, after which it is topped with ghee when served.
Of course, crass food review reels by influencers is a nationwide epidemic at this point. But how do we tell if the food review is genuine or paid?
Also read: Haleem hopping in Hyderabad—why Ramzan is worth every sleepless night in this Telangana city
‘Viral haleem’
I won’t blame only those who make these reels; after all, we are equally responsible in consuming them. The restaurants, too, are not without blame. Some of the promotional reels by eateries have become ridiculous these days.
Last year, a restaurant in Hyderabad advertised free haleem as part of its Ramzan promotional offer, which led to a stampede-like situation. The same place is now using the term ‘viral haleem’ with visuals of the chaos for marketing. Offline marketing with flashy lights has now moved to the virtual space and become an entirely different monster.
Haleem has been around for a long time, and most Hyderabadis love it. But the publicity campaign run by restaurants and influencers follow the same pattern of ‘reviews’, with one random ‘reviewer’ screaming how “amazing” the food is. This charade is really getting uncontrollable.
People are also not fools. With or without the promotional reels, we will eat haleem and all the other scrumptious dishes that Ramzan has to offer. Restaurants such as Nayab, Shadab, Grand Hotels, which are traditionally known for their haleem, are famous for a reason.
So, if you come across another reel with someone screeching that the haleem at a certain place is great, please remember that it is paid for. I have, of course, seen a few influencers or food reviewers being honest in their haleem ratings. But let’s hope this reel fad ends eventually.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. He tweets @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)