Indian Tiffin Box

The Indian Tiffin Box has a long and storied history. First appearing in the subcontinent in the late 18th century, the Tiffin Box quickly became a staple of Indian cuisine.

Originally, they were made using jute, cotton, or animal skin, to transport food on long journeys. The problem was, by the time a traveller reached the end of their journey the food would be cold.

So, the steel tiffin came about purely out of necessity to transport food while keeping it at a warm or even cold temperature.

The tiffin box has its origins in the ancient Chalukya dynasty and was first popularised in the 18th century by a man called Mahadeo Havaji Bacche. He worked as a banker and came up with the idea in 1890 after wanting home-cooked food in the office.

He later expanded on this idea and started a lunch delivery service in Bombay with around 100 men delivering different lunches in different containers.

Before being known as a tiffin box, the carrier was known as a dabbas, and Dabbawallas were the delivery people.

Mumbai’s first dabbawalas started delivering hot meals to office workers who did not have time to go home for lunch.

Essentially predating Uber Eats & Deliveroo by over a century, with much more style too.

The name “Tiffin” actually derived from English colloquialism with the rise of the British Empire in India. The Englishmen couldn’t stand the heat and often passed up lunchtime meals, preferring a quick “Tiff” instead. Tiff being English slang for taking a drink. The Tiffin Box remains a popular option in India today, and can be found in many different styles and varieties across the continent.

Design & Materials Of A Tiffin Box

Originally, the first popularised metal tiffins were made using brass. Using brass helped to keep the food inside warm, and unlike other metals such as iron, it didn’t add any metallic taste to the food. The heavy brass boxes eventually started to give way to the lighter and cheaper to product stainless steel designs.

An Indian tiffin box nowadays is usually made of stainless steel and has multiple tiers that stack on top of each other. The tiffin box is usually round or square in shape and has a lid that fits snugly on top. The tiffin box has evolved in design and style over the years and has grown in popularity outside of India, with different countries incorporating different designs. The size and shape of a tiffin box vary depending on the region, personal preference and whether it is to be carried on the hand, over the shoulder or on a cycle.

Here at Mytri Designs we work with expert artisans who have been making tiffin boxes using methods passed down through centuries.

All of these tiffins are made from food-grade stainless steel and are finished with handpainted designs using enamel paint with each one as unique as the next. The stainless steel is shaped in such a way depending on the compartments needed. Generally a tiffin box is up to 3 compartments but you can also have a single tier tiffin.

The various compartment design allows you to pack multiple items together, or separate sauces from rice, and pack meats and vegetables separately until they are ready to be used.

Tiffin Boxes are so stylish some just prefer to use them as kitchen decor or spice holders & biscuit containers when you have visitors over for tea.

If you want to see more of our artisan-made tiffin boxes, you can find them on display in our Tiffin Box Collection below.