Historical influences
The arrival of the Islam religion within the Indian subcontinent has influenced the local cuisine to a great degree. Since Muslims are forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol, because they are considered haraam, Pakistanis focus on other areas of food such as beef, chicken, fish, and vegetables as well as traditional fruit and dairy juices.
The Mughal Empire began its rule in present-day Pakistan around 1526 AD. Its style of cooking influenced the need for herbs and spices, almonds, and raisins. Many of these items were either brought through trade from the Far East or Europe. The Mughal culture has had an important contribution to cooking techniques within Pakistan. Even till this day it remains an important part of Pakistani cuisine. Foods such as kebabs, curries and barbecues are some of the most enjoyable cuisines that have made Pakistani food popular in the twenty-first century.
Elements
Eating Habits
Pakistanis generally consume three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During the evening, many families have tea which goes along with baked/fried goods from local bakery (or prepared at home). During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the eating patterns change to: Sehri and Iftar. It is considered proper to eat only with the right hand as per Islamic tradition. Many Pakistani families particularly in rural areas still eat their food served on a table cloth known as Dastarkhan which is placed on the floor.
Breakfast/ (nāshtā ناشتہ)
A typical Pakistani breakfast, locally called (nāshtā ناشتہ), consists of: eggs (boiled/scrambled/fried/omelette), slice bread (pan fried/toasted), parathas (lacha/qeema/kolcha) with tea or Lassi, qeema (mince meat), fresh seasonal fruits (mangoes, apples, melon, bananas etc), milk, honey, butter, jam, shami kababs, and nuts. During holidays and weekends, halwa puri and channay is also favoured. In the Punjab Sarson ka saag (Spinach) and Maaki ki roti (cornbread) is a local favourite and in Karachi, breakfast might even include Nihari and siri-payee (trotters and head, usually goat or cow). Due to the hot weather and comparatively high amount of physical activity, Pakistani breakfasts tend to be very heavy.
Lunch
A typical Pakistani lunch consists of meat curries or lentils along with bread or rice. Another popular lunch dish is potatoes with meat. Other curries such as meat combined with cabbage or biryani is also popular. Alternatively, for workers, nihari, bun kebab sandwich, and fried fish is regarded highly.
Dinner
Dinner is considered the main meal of the day as the whole family gathers for the occasion. Lentils are almost never consumed for dinner as they are usually considered a day time meal. Food which requires more preparation and which is more savoury (such as haleem, pulao, kofte, kebabs) are prepared. These are served with rice or bread (or both) along with yoghurt, pickle and salad. The dinner may (not commonly) be followed by dessert ranging from anything from fruit to traditional desserts like kheer, gulab jamun, shahi tukray, gajraila, qulfi or ras malai.
Curries
Curries, with or without meat, combined with local vegetables such as bitter gourd, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, cabbage, potatoes, rutabaga, saag are most common and cooked for everyday consumption.
An iconic Pakistani dish is karahi, either mutton or chicken cooked in a tomato sauce. This dish is enjoyed all over Pakistan and reflecting the country's diversity, karahi differs depending on the region in which it is being cooked.
Korma is a dish of Mughlai origin made of chicken or mutton, typically eaten with rice and is very popular in Pakistan.
Lentils
Various kinds of pulses also make up an important part of the Pakistani dishes. Lentils, called daal, have nevertheless traditionally been considered as an inexpensive food source and hotel/restaurants may only offer a limited variety of these dishes. Lentil dishes are also typically not served when guests are invited at home or during special occasions.
The one main exception is haleem (also known as Noah's pudding) which contains a variety of lentils, rice, wheat, barley, appropriate vegetables if desired and sometimes even figs along with meat. A batch of haleem will typically take over four to five hours to cook. Haleem is often served on religious occasions such as Muharram. A similar dish of Kashmiri origin is Hareesa, which also incorporates all the above mentioned and stewed slowly over a stove.
Tandoori/Barbecue
Barbecue food is extremely popular and is a speciality in Karachi and some cities of Punjab such as Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot and the North West Frontier Province. All BBQ dishes incorporate a variety of herbs and spices and are therefore very flavourful rather than being just dominated by chilli. Among well known dishes are chicken tikka,Mutton Tikka, Sheekh Kebab, Bihari Kebab and chakna. Sajji is a Baluchi dish from Western Pakistan, made of lamb stuffed with rice, that has also become popular all over the country.
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 pullao,
- Yakhni Palao - meat and stock added. Creates a brown rice
- Matar Palo - Palao made with peas
- Maash Palao - A sweet and sour palao baked with mung beans, apricots, and Bulgur (a kind of wheat). Exclusively vegetarian.
Biryani is a very popular dish in Pakistan and has many varieties such as Lahori and Sindhi Biryani. Tahiri, which is also a form of vegetarian Biryani is also popular.
All of the main dishes (except those made with rice) are eaten alongside bread. To eat, a small fragment of bread is torn off with the right hand and used to scoop and hold small portions of the main dish. Pickles made out of mangoes, carrots, lemon etc. are also commonly used to further spice up the food.
Varieties of bread
Pakistanis also eat flat round bread (roti) as a staple part of their daily diet. Pakistan has a variety of breads, often prepared in a traditional clay oven called a tandoor. Some of these are:
- Chapatis - Most common bread at home, made of whole wheat flour. They are thin and unleavened.
- Naan - Unlike chapatis, naans are slightly thicker, typically leavened with yeast and mainly made with white flour. They may also be sprinkled with sesame seeds. called Kulcha. They are often served with Sri Paya and Nihari for breakfast.
- Kulcha - This is a type of Naan usually eaten with Chickpeas and Potatoes.
- Tandoori Roti - These are extremely popular all over Pakistan. They are baked in a clay oven and are consumed with just about anything.
- Roghni naan - Naan sprinkled with sesame seeds and covered with a minute amount of oil.
- Sheermal - Prepared with milk and butter, and is a vital part of food served in marriages, along with Taftan. It is often sweetened and is particularly enjoyed by the kids.
- Taftan. This is a leavened flour bread with saffron and small cardamom powder baked in a clay oven.
- Kandahari naan - Long naan originally from Western Pakistan.
- Paratha - A flat many layered chapati separated by ghee (similar to pastry dough), originating from Punjab. Parathas are commonly eaten for breakfast and can also be served with a variety of stuffing.
- Puri - Is typically eaten with Halwa or Bhurji (made out of chickpeas and potatoes).
Halwa Purian or Bhujia with Puri (now commonly known as Poorian) has also become a typical breakfast in Pakistan. They are sold sometimes on make shift carts or otherwise in breakfast stores.
Kababs
A Middle Eastern influence on Pakistani cuisine is the popularity of grilled meats such as kababs. Kababs from Balochistan and the North-West Frontier Province tend to be identical to the Afghan style of barbecue, with salt and coriander being the only seasoning used while kababs in Sindh tend to be spicy. Karachi is famous for its kababs and they are spicy and are often marinated in a mixture of spices, lemon juice and yoghurt. Al-Hamra Restaurant and Bundu Khan Kebab House are famous throughout Pakistan for their taste and variety of Kababs. Kebab houses are the most profitable food business in Pakistan.
Meat including beef, chicken, and lamb are prominent in Pakistani cuisine. Kababs made out of lamb and chicken such as Seekh kabab, Shami kabab and Chapli kabab (a speciality of Peshawar) are especially popular. Pork is not consumed in Pakistan due to Islamic dietary laws.
Types of kababs (mainly made of Beef or Lamb) are:
- Seekh Kabab (سيخ کباب) - A long skewer of beef mixed with herbs and seasonings.
- Shami Kabab (شامي کباب) - A Shami Kabab is a small patty of minced beef or chicken and ground chickpeas and spices.
- Chapli Kabab (چپلي کباب) - A spicy round kabab made of ground beef and cooked in animal fat which is a speciality of the North West Frontier Province.
- Chicken Kabab (مرغ کباب) - A popular kabab that is found both with bone and without. Not so common as the traditional Kababs.
- Lamb Kabab (کبابِ برہ گوشت) - The all lamb meat kabab is usually served as cubes.
- Bihari Kabab (بﮩاری کباب) - Skewer of Beef mixed with herbs and seasoning.
- Shishleek - Grilled baby lamb chops (usually from the leg), typically marinated
- Bun Kabab - A unique kabab sandwich.
- Shawarma - It is usually a kabab or lamb strips in a naan with chutney and salad.
Desserts
Tea varieties
Pakistanis drink a great deal of tea (locally called, chai). Both black and green tea (sabz chai/qehwa) are popular though qehwa is often served after every meal in the NWFP province. Kashmiri chai, a pink milky tea with pistachios and cardamom, is drunk primarily at weddings and during the winter when it is sold in many kiosks. In northern Pakistan (Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan), salty buttered Tibetan style tea is consumed.
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, drinks such as coffee and soft drinks have also become popular in Pakistan. It is very common to have soft drinks nowadays with Pakistani meals.
- Lassi — Milk with yoghurt, with an either sweet or salty taste
- Gola Ganda — Different types of flavours over crushed ice
- Sugarcane juice (Ganaay ka ras)
- Lemonade (Nimbo pani)
- Sherbet
- Rooh Afza
- Shikanjabeen
- Almond Sherbet
- Sherbet-e-Sandal — Drink made with the essence of sandal wood
- Kashmiri Chai/Gulabi chai — A milky sweet tea/pink tea
- Qehwa
Western influences
Pakistani dishes are also taking a lead in the western direction, as many Pakistanis are trying out new and modern foods. Many westernized restaurants and fast food outlets are dotted in all parts of Pakistan. The Punjab and Sindh provinces, where the majority of urban, western culture has been greatly advanced and has chains of many American, European and British chains in many metropolitian cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi and many others. Marketing and advertisements have made these a heaven for social and modern spots for all Pakistanis to try out.
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