Could the Birmingham Balti become a UNESCO protected dish?

Could Birmingham's famous Balti dish become protected under UNESCO?

That's what a number of restaurants in the city are hoping for.

Part of Birmingham's Balti Triangle in the south east of the city, the business owners have applied for the dish to be enshrined under the government's cultural heritage scheme.

The balti scene has been operating in the city for nearly 50 years, originating in the mid 1970s.

It involves a specially designed balti bowl, made of thin pressed carbon steel which heats up quickly. It's typically cooked using vegetable oil instead of ghee, and cooked quickly over a high flame.

Andy Munro was born and bred in the Balti Triangle and has championed the dish for many years, even having written a book on it: 'The Balti: Its Birth, Its Boom Years and Beyond'.

He is part of the campaign calling for UNESCO status and says it would make a difference to the culture.

"It'll be important for [Birmingham's Balti Triangle restaurants] to say 'we do a proper balti'," he said.

"Because what I don't want to happen is that visitors come to Birmingham - we get more and more visitors coming to this city - go to a restaurant, see balti on the menu, have it and think, 'this is no big deal, it's like every other curry I've had before.'"

If Andy and the rest of the campaigners are successful, these authentic cooking methods could be safeguarded for years to come.

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