Nobody is even sure if the dish originated in Pakistan many decades ago or Birmingham in the 70s. But, according to Madhur Jaffrey, its day in the sun is over

Name: Balti.

Age: 37.

Appearance: Dead.

Oh dear. Well, dying anyway. Slowly dying.

Still, sad. You know what Balti is, don’t you?

I’d just assumed from the context that it was a brave circus elephant, or an inspiring rescue donkey. It’s a curry.

Oh THAT Balti. Haven’t had one in ages. What’s in it, again? It can contain any number of ingredients – but it’s normally rice with some kind of meat and vegetables, stewed until most of the liquid has evaporated.

And why is it dying? According to the food writer Madhur Jaffrey, the Balti was “just a craze” from the 80s and early 90s which has now waned in popularity.

Like T’pau? No, not like T’pau. T’Pau have a very busy 2015 planned, I’ll have you know.

Where did Balti come from in the first place? Good question. According to some sources, the style of cooking originated in the Baltistan region of Northern Pakistan. Others say the name actually comes from the Urdu word for bucket, referring to the wok-like pot in which Baltis are commonly served.

What does Madhur Jaffrey say? She’s not buying either. “I don’t think it has its origins in any place we would want to visit,” she told the Cheltenham literature festival.

What did she mean by that? She meant Birmingham.

Slander! Not at all – she was merely stating her belief that it was not a traditional cuisine. “I think it just grew up in Birmingham, then Leeds, and then a lot of places round there,” she said.

Is there any truth to this? Possibly. Some claim the first Balti was served in 1977 in a restaurant in Birmingham, but nobody even really knows where the word comes from. The earliest citation is from a 1982 menu; the origins of the name remain obscure.

Like T’pau? No, not like T’pau. T’pau are named after a Star Trek character. Everybody knows that.

Has Jaffrey’s Balti death sentence been independently confirmed? Not really. The Balti was among the top 10 favourite curries in a list recently compiled by the British Curry Club.

Do say: “Make mine hot. Popularity be damned!”

Don’t say: “What’s the most authentic thing on this menu stuck under the glass table top?”