Moves to certify the regional ties and uniqueness of a very British type of Asian food are poised to turn out rice for all concerned. Following an application submitted to UK agency ADAS (formerly the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service), the sizzling Birmingham balti is on the brink of EU recognition as a distinctive cooking method with intrinsic links to that city.

It is the pilau-powered passion of enthusiasts at the Asian Balti Restaurant Association (ABRA) that has delivered the dish to this watershed. In December 2010, the group announced that it had begun work with agencies on registering the Birmingham balti for Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status. That, it said, would ensure ‘that anybody who opts to enjoy a Birmingham balti experiences the real thing, rather than a typical curry where the restaurant has decided to use the term “balti” generically’.

The dish has become hugely popular within the city district dubbed the ‘Balti Triangle’: a food haven within (and slightly around the edges of) an area described by Stratford Road on the right side; Wake Green Road on the lower side; and streets from Alcester Road to the Camp Hill Circus roundabout on the left side. Over a period of four decades, the district has established itself as a formidable competitor to the UK’s other leading curry-house hot zones, such as Bradford’s city centre and London’s Brick Lane.

Balti – named after the shallow, round-bottomed metal bowls in which the food is presented – was popularised in Birmingham during the mid 1970s by Pakistani and Kashmiri residents. Its aroma and flavour characteristics are derived from a clutch of specific cooking steps, including:

• Use of vegetable oil as a base (other curry dishes tend to use ghee, a type of clarified butter that makes for heavier sauces)

• Ingredients added one at a time to a pan set over a hot flame in a quick – almost stir-fry – cooking process that promotes rapid flavour combination

• Meat cooked off the bone

Announcing the imminent approval of its application with a soupcon of tongue-in-cheek humour, ABRA said: ‘The Euro may be on the verge of being discredited – but Europe may, at least, be about to do its bit for Birmingham’s signature dish. An application [for the Birmingham balti] is currently in advanced stages of discussion in preparation for TSG status.’

According to ADAS, that status is open to ‘products that are traditional or have customary names, and have features that distinguish them from other similar products’. Once the application has been finalised, restaurants in the ABRA network will be able to use the TSG symbol in their trade dress and promotional materials.


For previous NewLegal Review coverage of EU protected foods, choose a snack from the menu below…

Pizza

Pasty

Sausage