Spent ₹5,000 on biryani, ₹4,200 to carry it home: Mumbai foodie’s Hyderabad trip goes viral

Some travellers return home with souvenirs. Others carry memories. But one man from Mumbai returned with something far more unusual – Hyderabad biryani.

During a 12-day food trip to the city, he spent around ₹5,000 trying different plates of biryani. And when it was time to return, he wasn’t ready to leave it behind. So he packed some of it in his luggage and ended up paying ₹4,200 as excess baggage to carry it home.

His surprising foodie move has now gone viral on social media, with many people applauding the dedication.

For him, the dish was clearly more than just a meal. It was something worth bringing back as part of the travel experience. As he wrote in his post, “Biryani Max Pro. 12 days in Hyderabad. Countless plates later… some meals were too good to leave behind. Because the best biryani isn’t just food. It follows you home.”

A 12-day biryani journey

The traveller, Velton Saldanha, documented his entire food trail on Instagram, sharing the different biryanis he tried across Hyderabad.

His post included pictures from several restaurants, along with images of packed containers that were ready to travel back with him to Mumbai. One slide even showed the airline receipt for the additional ₹4,200 he paid for excess baggage.

Explaining the cost of his food adventure, he wrote, “₹5,000 on biryani. ₹4,200 to carry it home. Hyderabad… I have a problem.”

In another slide showing the packed food, he added, “After 12 days in Hyderabad, I did what any sensible person would do: I packed biryani in my luggage.”

The biryanis he couldn’t forget

During his stay in the city, Saldanha visited multiple restaurants and sampled different styles of biryani. A few dishes stood out as his favourites during the trip.

These included Nalli Gosht Biryani from Krishna’s Kitchen, Sufiyani Biryani and Jangari Biryani from Voila F9 Gourmet, and Safed Biryani from Savya.

According to him, these were some of the highlights of his Hyderabad food journey.

Social media reacts

Once the post began circulating online, it quickly caught the attention of fellow food lovers. Many people praised the lengths he went to just to carry his favourite dish back home.

One user wrote, “This is the kind of dedication biryani in Hyderabad deserves.”

Another commented, “Still a small price to pay for biryani.”

While someone else said, “Love this post!!!! Truly a hardcore biryani lover!!!”

Others share their own food stories

The viral post also prompted many users to share their own experiences of travelling with food from different cities.

One user said, “At the Hyderabad airport, biryani can be carried in hand. Indigo was very sweet and said biryani doesn’t qualify as hand luggage.”

Another user shared a family anecdote, writing, “You did the right thing. Whenever my son travels, his check-in baggage has to include that place’s favourite food – biryani from Chennai, biryani from Hyderabad, pathar ka gosht, and of course, khubani ka meetha… haha. He once paid for excess baggage when he brought Ceylon egg parotta and biryani from Chennai. Both of you are similar… foodies.”

When food becomes the real souvenir

For many travellers, food often becomes the most memorable part of a trip. Souvenirs may sit on shelves, but flavours stay with you much longer.

Saldanha’s story shows just how far some food lovers are willing to go for a dish they truly enjoy – even if it means paying extra baggage fees.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a post shared by the traveller on social media. The Times of India has not independently verified the claims made in the post.
Thumb image: Instagram