Pakistani cuisine

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This article is part of the series
Pakistani cuisine پاکستانی پکوان
Regional cuisines Eastern Mughlai Muhajir Hyderabadi Punjabi Saraiki Lahori Hazari Himachali Haryanvi Sindhi Parsi Western Balochi Hazara Pashtun Northern Chitrali Hunza Kalash Kashmiri Overseas and fusion Balti Pakistani Chinese
Ingredients Breads Condiments Snacks Soups and stews Spices Sweets and desserts
Preparation and cooking Handi Karahi Tandoor Tava Other
See also History Etiquette Pakistani chefs Cookbook: Cuisine of Pakistan
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Pakistani cuisine (

Pakistani cuisine, as in the food culture of most Muslim nations, is structured around halal principles, which, for example, forbid pork and alcohol consumption in accordance with Sharia, the religious laws of Islam. Many more details of halal regulations apply to meats, which types of animals are acceptable or “clean” for human consumption.

International cuisine and fast food are popular in major cities such as Islamabad^[4] and Karachi;^[5] blending local and foreign recipes (fusion food), such as Pakistani Chinese cuisine, is also common in large urban centres. As a result of lifestyle changes, health trends, and new dietary research being published, traditional ingredients such as masala (pre-mixed and ready-to-use) and ghee (clarified butter)—with its health benefits and high smoke point—have been increasingly popular.

Historical influences

Balochi cuisine belongs to the

Rice dishes and kebabs feature prominently in

Kalash

Kalashi people have a rich food culture that includes various types of breads and cheese. The famous bread is made with flour and different types of nuts. Some breads are bilili (walnut bread), jã'u, (walnut bread), and kurau (flour kindled in crushed grape juice).

Punjab

Since Punjabi identity is considered geographical and cultural, almost all inhabitants of

Sindhi cuisine refers to the native cuisine of the

The capital of Sindh Karachi is mixture of all regions. However the same is heavily dominated by the Mughlai, Deccani and other cuisines of Muslims who migrated from present day India post partition of British India in 1947.

Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit Baltistan is rich in unique food and dishes, each district of Gilgit Baltistan has their cultural dish that symbolizes the people.

Gilgiti cuisine is the cuisine of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Prominent Gilgiti dishes, such as the Chapshoro have gained massive popularity among different parts of Pakistan. Dumplings (Locally called Mumtu) are often served with yogurt and parsley and black pepper, vinegar, chili sauce.

Hunza

Staple foods like barley, wheat, and millet form the foundation of dishes such as chapshuro and thukpa, hearty soups that provide warmth in the cold climate. Fresh fruits like apricots and cherries are transformed into jams, dried fruits, and juices, while dairy products like yogurt and cheese play a significant role in both savory and sweet offerings. Dishes like buckwheat bread, rosehip oil bread, and almond bread are commonly prepared in Hunza.

Nagar

Chapshuro is the local alternative of pizza in Nagar. Initially a local product of only Nagar valley, now it is widely prepared in Hunza and other localitises on the Karakoram.

Ghizer

Ghizer is famous for kelawo (also spelled kilao), walnuts dipped in honey and mulberry juice.

Gilgit

Dumplings locally called mumtu are well known in Gilgit cuisine. As Gilgit itself is a blend of cultures from neighboring districts like Hunza, Ghizer and Chilas, the cuisines of these regions is also widely found here.

Baltistan

Meal structure

Pakistanis generally eat three meals a day, i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During the evening, many families have tea with snacks. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the eating patterns change to suhur, pronounced “Sehari” in Pakistan, and iftar. It is considered proper to eat only with the right hand, per Islamic tradition (also a tradition in many other Asian cultures). Many Pakistani families, particularly when guests are too many to fit at a table, eat sitting at a cloth known as Dastarkhān, which is spread out on the floor. In Pakistan, many street eateries serve food on a takht, in a style similar to what is seen in Afghanistan. A takht is a raised platform, where people eat their food sitting cross-legged, after taking tith sauce with a piece of baked bread (naan) or rice.

Breakfast

Dinner is considered the main meal of the day as the whole family gathers for the occasion. Food which requires more preparation and which is more savoury (such as

Pakistani snacks comprise food items that are quick to prepare, spicy, usually fried,

In Pakistan, main courses are usually served with wheat bread (either

There are plenty of vegetarian-friendly

There are plenty of vegetables which are grown seasonally in Pakistan, which are cooked into curries which are eaten for lunch or dinner. Some vegetable dishes, such as aloo paratha and channa puri, are also consumed for breakfast.

Meat dishes

The meat dishes in

Further important points declare precisely how animals are to be slaughtered; it must be done quickly and with minimal suffering, with the animal's awareness of the situation being extremely brief (preferably nonexistent, as stress releases cortisol and adrenaline, potentially spoiling meat quality). The animals must also be healthy as halal principles forbid the consumption of sick, abused, cancerous or otherwise unhealthy animals. Additionally, animals that are killed inadvertently, or during accidents are forbidden, as the intention was not slaughter in those cases.

Barbecue and kebabs

Meat and grilled meat have played an important role in Pakistan for centuries. Kebabs are a staple item in Pakistani cuisine today, and one can find countless varieties all over the country. Each region has its own varieties, but some, like seekh kebab, chicken tikka, and shami kebab are especially popular throughout the country and in some other parts of South Asia.

• 
  A variety of dishes cooked by barbecuing
• 
  Seekh kebab (minced meat on skewers), a famous Pakistani food specialty
• 
  Chapli kebab is another famous Pakistani food specialty.

Pulses

Various kinds of

Beans such as black-eyed peas (lobia) and kidney beans (rajma) are sometimes served in a tomato-based masala sauce, especially in Punjab.

Chickpeas, red kidney beans, and other legumes are also popular in Pakistani cooking. They are usually cooked in a spicy gravy and served with rice or traditional flatbread (roti). Chickpeas, known as channa, are also a common breakfast food when served with puri. Channa chaat is another favorite street food and iftaar dish; it is made of chickpeas, chopped onions, tomatoes, and chillies, and seasoned with spices (chaat masala) and tamarind paste.

A wide variety of lentils is consumed in Pakistan and frequently with rice. Daal chawaal (lentils and rice) is known as a popular comfort food in many Pakistani households.

Rice dishes

Pakistan is a major exporter and consumer of rice. Basmati is the most popular type of rice consumed in Pakistan.

Dishes made with rice include many varieties of pulao:

• Bannu Pulao – A classic dish from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  , combines beef, spices, and rice. The beef is slow-cooked with bones for a rich, flavorful taste, while the rice is prepared separately with ghee and aromatic spices.
• Maash pulao – A sweet and sour pulao baked with mung beans, apricots and bulgur (a kind of roughly milled cracked wheat). Exclusively vegetarian.7
• Chana pulao – Pulao with chickpeas, a very popular vegetarian pulao in Punjab.
• Matar pulao – Pulao made with peas.
• Murgh pulao – Chicken and stock added. Creates a brown rice.
• Yakhni pulao – Meat and stock added. Creates a brown rice.
• FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in North-West Pakistan, and Balochistan
  in the South-West Pakistan. It is a variety of pilaf, consisting of steamed rice mixed with raisins, carrots, and lamb

Pakistanis eat breads made of wheat flour as a staple part of their diet. Pakistan has a wide variety of breads, often prepared in a tandoor. The tandoori style of cooking is common throughout rural and urban Pakistan, and also has strong roots in neighboring India, Iran and Afghanistan. Some of these are:

• Chapati – Most common bread made in urban homes, where a tandoor is not available. Chapatis are cooked over a flat or slightly convex dark colored pan known as 'tava'. Chapatis are made of whole-wheat flour and are thin and unleavened. Tortillas are probably the most common analogue to chapatis, though chapatis are slightly thicker. A variant, known as 'romali roti' (lit. Handkerchief bread), is very thin and very large.
• Kandahari Naan – Long, salty naan originating in Western Pakistan and commonly eaten with Peshawari Karahi or
  Chapli Kebab
  .
• Kulcha – This is a type of naan usually eaten with chickpeas and potatoes and mostly popular in urban centers of Punjab.
• Naan – In Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, the word Naan means bread. Unlike chapatis, naans are slightly thicker, typically leavened with yeast and mainly made with white flour. Some varieties like Roghani and Peshwari naan may also be sprinkled with sesame seeds. Naans are seldom, if ever, made at home since they require tandoor-based cooking and require prep work. Numerous varieties of plain, as well as stuffed naans are available throughout Pakistan and each region or city can have its own specialty. Naan is a versatile bread and is eaten with almost anything. For instance, 'saada naan' or 'plain naan' is often served with Siri-Payay (cow's head and trotters) or Nihari (slow cooked beef stew) for breakfast in many parts of the country.
• Punjab
  , where a heavy breakfast of parathas with freshly churned butter and buttermilk was commonly consumed by the farmers to prepare themselves for the hard day of work ahead. However, parathas are now a common breakfast element across the country. Along with the plain layered version, many stuffed versions, such as 'Aloo ka Paratha' (Potato stuffed paratha), 'Mooli ka Paratha' (Radish stuffed paratha), and 'Qeemah ka Paratha' (Ground meat stuffed paratha) are popular.
• Puri – This is a breakfast bread made of white flour and fried. Typically eaten with sweet semolina halwa or gravy (made out of chickpeas and potatoes). Puri is a fairly urban concept, not part of rural cuisine anywhere in Pakistan. However, Halwa Puri has now become a favored weekend or holiday breakfast in urban Pakistan, where it is sometimes sold in shift carts or in specialty breakfast shops.
• Roghani Naan (lit. Buttered Naan) – It is a preferred variety of Naan sprinkled with white sesame seeds and cooked with a small amount of oil.

• 

  Ofrata: Sindhi paratha made with a lot of oil and ghee, a four corner Ofrato is called Chokundo, and three corner Ofrato is called Trikundo.
• Busri: a special Sindhi sweet bread made of two Ofratas, crushed jaggery powder or sugar filled in, cooked with desi ghee and Makhan (butter).
• Bajhar Mani: pearl millet bread made in rural Sindh in winters.

• 

  Chawaran ji Mani: rice flour bread made in Sindh, it is common in upper (north) Sindh.
• Roti – This bread is extremely popular all over Pakistan. Tandoori rotis are baked in a tandoor, and are consumed with just about anything. In rural Pakistan, many houses have their own tandoors, while the ones without it use a communal one. In urban Pakistan, bread shops or "nanbai"/"tandoor" shops are fairly common and supply fresh, tandoor baked breads to household customers.
• Sheermal – Saffron-flavored traditional flatbread. It is a festive bread prepared with milk ('sheer') and butter with added candied fruits. Sheermal is often a vital part of food served in marriages, along with taftan. It is often sweetened.
• Taftan – This is a leavened flour bread with saffron and a small amount of cardamom powder, baked in a tandoor. The taftan made in Pakistan is slightly sweeter and richer than the one made in neighboring Iran.

Desserts

Popular desserts include

Pakistanis drink a great deal of tea, locally called "chai". Both black (with milk) and green teas are popular and there are different varieties common in different parts of Pakistan. ^{[citation needed]}

• In Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, as well as areas near the Chinese border, salty Tibetan-style butter tea is consumed.
• Doodh pati chai is made by cooking tea leaves with milk and sugar, sometimes served with cardamom for fragrance. Extremely sweet, this is a local variation of a builder's tea.
• "Kashmiri chai" or "
  noon chai", a pink, milky tea with pistachios and cardamom
  , is consumed primarily at special occasions, weddings, and during the winter, when it is sold in many kiosks.
• "Sabz chai" or "
  Balochistan
  , served with saffron and nuts.
• Sulaimani chai is black tea served with lemon.

Beverages

Besides tea, there are other drinks that may be included as part of the Pakistani cuisine. All of them are non-alcoholic as the consumption of alcohol is prohibited by Islam. During the 20th century, beverages such as coffee and soft drinks have also become popular in Pakistan. It is very common to have soft drinks nowadays with Pakistani meals.

• Almond sherbet – Sherbet made with almonds
• Baraf Gola
  – Frozen Ice in a cup mould served with syrup as a topping
• Kashmiri chai
  /Gulabi chai – A milky tea known for its pink color, with an either sweet or salty taste
• Lassi – Milk with yogurt, with an either sweet or salty taste
• Lemonade (Limu pani)
• Qehwa
  – Green tea with cardamom
• Sardai – Mixture of different nuts and kishmish
• Sathu – Famous drink from Punjab
• Sherbet
  (syrup mixed in water)
• Sherbet-e-Sandal – Drink made with the essence of sandal wood
• Sikanjabeen – Lemonade (mint is also added)
• Sugarcane juice (Ganney ka ras)
• Thadal – A sweet drink from Sindh

Halal

Observant Muslims follow the Islamic law that lists foods and drinks that are halal, permissible to consume. The criteria specify both what foods are allowed and how the food must be prepared. The foods addressed are mostly types of meat. ^{[citation needed]}

Foreign influences

• 
  McDonald's outlet at Queens Road, Sargodha
• 
  KFC outlet, University Road, Sargodha
• 
  Pizza Hut outlet in Karachi

In addition to the traditional food, fast food is also very popular across the country.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuisine of Pakistan.

• Pakistani cuisine at
  Curlie