The Birmingham Balti Triangle

Balti is a Birmingham invention, not an import. Pakistani and Kashmiri families cooking in the south of the city from the late 1970s worked out a method of making a curry fast over a very high flame in a thin pressed steel bowl, which then comes to the table still spitting. It is served without cutlery: you tear naan, and the family naans arrive the size of a small tablecloth. The area of Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Moseley where this happened became known as the Balti Triangle. Many houses hold no drinks licence and expect you to bring your own. The number of balti houses has fallen well below its peak.

What you actually see

• The steel balti bowl - thin pressed metal, cooked in and served straight from.
• Family naans - shared breads far larger than the table settings.
• Bring your own - many houses are unlicensed and expect you to arrive with drink.
• Ladypool Road - the spine of the district, with sweet shops and fabric stores between.

When to go

Evenings, and the kitchens run late. Weekends are busiest and parking on the main roads is difficult from seven onwards. Ramadan changes opening hours across the district considerably, so check before travelling. A weeknight is the calmer visit. The sweet shops and fabric stores nearby keep daytime hours instead.

Honest expectations

The district is an ordinary suburban high street rather than a food destination laid on for visitors, and the shopfronts are plain. Numbers have shrunk since the 1990s and several famous names have closed. Quality varies house to house with no reliable guide. It is two miles from the centre, and buses back after a late meal are infrequent.

Nearby

Moseley village, Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham's centre two miles north.