(New Delhi, India) (February 27, 2026): Dating today doesn’t start with candlelight, it starts with connection. Chemistry shows up in the small things: how someone owns a preference, defends a favourite, or handles a difference.
In that sense, biryani is the perfect metaphor for modern dating - layered, personal, and all about balance. It isn't about the dish itself, but about what it represents - the interplay of individuality and how two distinct flavours can either overpower each other or come together beautifully.
According to Tinder’s Year in Swipe™ 2025, biryani ranks among the top five interests on Tinder in India. Even more telling? Mentions of biryani and cooking in Tinder bios have both surged 61%1 since the start of the year compared to the same time last year. Clearly, food isn’t just a craving, it’s part of how young India is expressing identity.
This is because what’s on your plate can say a lot about what you stand for. 73%2 say they know they like someone when they can truly be themselves, while over a third2 of daters believe shared values are essential in dating. Sometimes, that alignment begins with agreeing on spice tolerance, street food loyalty, or whether potatoes absolutely do belong in biryani.
Tinder is calling this rise in opinion-led attraction Hot-Take Dating2 - where standing for something is, well, hot. From dum vs. Awadhi to Team Raita vs. No Raita, these flavour debates have become low-pressure ways to show personality, boundaries and values - all before the first date even ends.
Are you loyal to Hyderabad’s dum biryani, drawn to Lucknow’s lighter Awadhi style, or proudly defending Kolkata’s version with potato? These aren’t just food preferences, they’re conversation starters. Even playful arguments like “vegetarian biryani is just pulao” are helping singles move from small talk to something more meaningful.
Taking this insight off the app and onto the table, Tinder recently hosted a Blind Biryani Tasting - turning flavours into a fun, unexpected lens for compatibility. Guests were served five regional styles - Kolkata, Lucknowi (Awadhi), Hyderabadi, Chettinad, Thalassery (Kerala) and a veg biryani; without revealing their identities. Each one sparked clear opinions around spice, subtlety and personality. When preferences were revealed, Thalassery ranked first, followed by Chettinad and Hyderabadi.
At the heart of the experience was a cheeky personality quiz, where Dr. Chandni Tugnait, Tinder’s Relationship Expert in India, helped decode biryani behaviours into four distinct dating personality types, because how you eat might just reveal how you love:
The Main Character Maximalist
Extra spicy. Double fried onions. Zero tolerance for bad biryani. In dating, they bring that same unapologetic energy, passionate, decisive, and crystal clear about what they want. If it’s not a “hell yes,” it’s a no. Their strong preferences, on and off the plate, reflect secure boundaries and high-intensity passion. Comfortable expressing desire clearly, these daters reduce ambiguity and emotional guesswork, proving that if they are extra about their biryani, they are extra about their boundaries too.
The Balanced Softie
Medium spice. Always with raita. Harmony on the plate and in their love life. They date the way they eat - thoughtful, emotionally aware, and big on consistency. Prioritising balance, they value empathy, mutual care, and clear boundaries without giving up their self-respect. For them, connection is about stability and harmony, not chaos.
The Slow-Burn Specialist
Picks around the whole spices. Doesn’t stress about leftovers. Happy with whatever’s on the menu. Their dating vibe is low-pressure and organic, they like to let things unfold naturally, valuing ease, flexibility, and real chemistry over rigid labels. Comfort-driven choices often mirror a relaxed dating style, reflecting emotional adaptability. These daters value ease and organic connection, allowing relationships to grow without rushing labels.
The Passionate Paradox
Extra spicy one day, mild the next. Sometimes generous with their biryani, sometimes fiercely protective. In love, they crave intimacy but also space - navigating intimacy and independence in real time. Changing spice levels mirror a dynamic emotional style. They are aware they want closeness but also need space to feel emotionally regulated, constantly recalibrating the balance.
“At Tinder, we see dating as more than matches and messages, it’s reflected in the everyday choices that signal who you are. From biryani preferences to shared food rituals, these small cues reveal identity, values and emotional expression in powerful ways. Our Year in Swipe™ insights show that modern attraction in India is increasingly rooted in authenticity and shared values.
With Time Together2 and Thoughtful Gestures2 emerging as the top love styles in India, food and eating together is fast becoming a language of affection, whether it’s planning a new spot to try or remembering someone’s exact order. With the Biryani Blind Tasting, we’re turning flavour into a fresh lens on modern love, and helping singles connect beyond the surface,” said Aditi Shorewal, Communications Lead, Tinder India & Korea.
Yes, sometimes, decoding compatibility is as simple, and as revealing, as your biryani order. Try Tinder’s Biryani Compatibility Test on your next date!
1 Tinder Internal Data from January 2026 to February 2026 and January 2025 to February 2025.
2 Year in Swipe 2025: Tinder Internal Data from September 2024 to September 2025. Referenced statistics taken from the 2025 International Opinium Survey.
About Tinder
Launched in 2012, Tinder® revolutionized how people meet, growing from 1 match to one billion matches in just two years. This rapid growth demonstrates its ability to fulfill a fundamental human need: real connection. Today, the app has been downloaded over 630 million times, leading to over 100 billion matches, serving approximately 50 million users per month in 190 countries and 45+ languages - a scale unmatched by any other app in the category. In 2024, Tinder won four Effie Awards for its first-ever global brand campaign, “It Starts with a Swipe™”.
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