Pakistan

Much like in Indian cuisine, Pakistani food has a heavy use of spices. Referred to there as the food of the gods, spices are balanced and mingled with many flavours, including dried fruits, tart and tangy yoghurts, creamy nuts, and rich meats.

Influences

More meat-based than its neighbouring India, Pakistani cuisine loves its meat, particularly beef, lamb, and chicken. Pulses do however play an important role when It comes to padding dishes out and feeding large groups of people. Popular ingredients you’ll find in almost every Pakistani pantry include: Dried Plums – giving a sweet and sour flavour to curries, slow-cooks and all-famous Biriyani and Pomegranate seeds – used both fresh and dried to add a zesty, sweet flavour. Few dishes are cooked in Pakistan without ghee – a clarified butter with a very high smoke point for cooking spices and foods in extreme heat.

Jammed full of flavour.

Divided into four main provinces, Pakistani food varies greatly throughout. For example, machli (fish) and other seafood are used regularly in the coastal Sind province. In the largest province of Baluchistan, located in the West, the sajji method of barbecuing whole lambs in a deep pit is popular. For those living in Punjab in the east and shared with India, roti bread is eaten with almost every meal. On the Northwest Frontier, the Pathens eat a great deal of lamb however, their cooking is considered blander than other regions

History & influences

Created in only 1947 when India gained freedom from British rules and was partitioned into two countries, Pakistan is one of the youngest countries on our earth through its cuisine history is still a rich and complex one. Predominantly Muslim, a large portion of its food history is thanks to its religious persuasion. Starting in 700AD, Muslims have since been forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol so an emphasis on beef, chicken, fish, and vegetables is strong. During the 1500s, the Moghul Empire began its ruling in what is now known as Pakistan bringing a style of cooking that has remained today using ingredients such as herbs, spices, almonds, and raisins to flavour dishes.

Other influences include the obvious strong one from their close neighbours, India, as well as the Middle East and Britain. Commonly throughout the whole of Pakistan however, milk, lentils, seasonal vegetables, and wheat products like flour make up the staples in Pakistani cuisine.

Pakistan

Iconic Dishes

Drag and drop block options like heading, text, buttons, dividers, and more.Rich in tradition and full of dishes built on fresh, hand-pounded masalas, Pakistani cuisine has drawn inspiration from its subcontinent neighbours whilst developing its own unique flavour with iconic Biryanis, tandoor-baked breads, Haleem curry with zesty raita, and street eats of Mantu dumplings. In true Pakistani fashion, meals must be finished on a sweet note with bites of spiced Carrot Halwa and sugar-coated cumin seeds.

Pakistan

Spiceology

Much like its subcontinent neighbour, Pakistan is a prominent land for growing and producing spices. One major one is Saffron – used a lot in curries, biriyanis, and sweets, saffron is harvested from a small blue/purple flower each producing only a few threads of this precious spice. Other spices grown in the region include cloves, cardamom, cumin and cinnamon, all of which are used in garam masala as well as chaat masala – a hot and tangy spice mix with the sweet and zesty addition of dried mango powder and ginger powder. A must when it comes to making an authentic biriyani!