The last Nawab of Oudh, Wajid Ali Shah is credited with bringing the biryani to Kolkata in the year 1856, all the way from Lucknow.

The Kolkata-style biryani is, therefore, a local-version of the Lucknawi biryani. The main (and only) difference lies in the placement of a small potato in the center of the Kolkata-style biryani-a concept pioneered by locals who couldn't afford the costly meats the biryani demanded.

Times changed, Kolkata became richer, but the golden, olden potato remained-the last reminder of an era gone by.

Photograph: ITC Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi