Hyderabad: Like Darjeeling tea, Banarasi silk and Tirupati laddu (a sweet), Hyderabadi haleem will soon get a Geographical Indicator (GI) tag protecting the name from being used by any other city.
Haleem, the famous and delicious Iranian dish, is back in focus with the onset of Ramadan. Haleem is normally available literally by tonnes in every nook and corner of Hyderabad city during the month as Muslims prefer to end their dawn to dusk fast with this nutritious dish.
S. Ravi, patent manager and Intellectual Property consultant of Adhikari IP Consultants, has said that his company had filed for a patent with the GI Registry of India on behalf of the Haleem Makers Association of Hyderabad.
"We hope that Hyderabadi haleem will be granted GI tag before the end of Ramadan. Consequently no other city will be able to make or market haleem as Hyderabadi haleem."
"Hyderabad is famous for its haleem as much as for its famous biryani and GI tag will go a long way in securing the rights of Hyderabadis over their dishes," Ravi said. He said that at the moment the association had only 15 members and many more will join as there were thousands of hotels and eateries in Hyderabad who make and sell haleem with ghee, meat and wheat as its main ingredients.
Mohammad Abdul Majid, president of the Association and owner of Pista House, the leading maker and seller of haleem said that this year his product will be available not only in Hyderabad but also in eight other cities as well as many countries including Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.
Gati, the leading transport company and supply chain has tied up with Pista House to ensure that haleem is made available in eight cities across the countries within hours.
"By 2pm every day our haleem will be ready and within a few hours it will reach other cities including Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune and Kochi," Abdul Majid said.
