THINK TEEN 1 ADVANCED - PRODECT: FOOD

                    FOOD IN PAKISTAN

 

 

 

                                    

                                                                          

                                                                                     

                                                                                       VAGGELIS APOSTOLAKIS

                                                                         

                                                                                          STEVE VRANTZAS

          

                                                                                          FILIPPOS GOUMAS

                  Pakistan

Pakistan lies northwest of India and west of China. The country's name comes from the Urdu language (Pakistan's official language), meaning "Land of the Pure." It is approximately the size of Texas and its southern coast borders the Arabian Sea. The Hindu Kush and Himalayan mountain ranges of northern Pakistan have some of the most rugged land found anywhere in the world. Nearly all of the land in these mountains lies above 7,800 feet. The Indus plains are in the central region of the country. The climate there is hot and dry. The region usually receives only about eight inches of rain a year and temperatures may hover around 104°F for months at a time. Despite these conditions, the Indus plains support the largest part of Pakistan's population.

               HISTORY AND FOOD 

 

 

The spreading of the Islam religion, starting in the A.D. 700s, forms the basis of Pakistani cuisine. Because Muslims (those who practice the Islam religion) are forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol, they concentrated on other areas of food such as beef, chicken, fish, and vegetables.
The Moghul Empire (from India) began its ruling in present-day Pakistan around 1526. Its style of cooking, called Mughal , typically includes such ingredients as herbs and spices, almonds, and raisins. Mughal cooking remains an important part of Pakistani cuisine. Foods such as shahi tukra , a dessert made with sliced bread, milk, cream, sugar, and saffron (a type of spice),

and chicken tandoori are still enjoyed in the twenty-first century. Chicken tandoori is chicken that is cooked at a low temperature in special large clay ovens called tandoors.

Pakistani cuisine is the lesser known food of the sub-continent and is rich in tradition, full of marvelous and diverse dishes. Pakistan was created in 1947 when India was partitioned and has a predominantly Muslim population. Although Pakistan is relatively new, the cuisine has developed many more years and incorporates elements from its neighbours - India, Afghanistan and Iran. The varied regions also means there are a whole range of different foods - from the fertile valleys and the sea of Sindh province; to pastoral Baluchistan, from neighbouring Iran; to the Punjab with its five rivers and the rugged North West Frontier, home of the chappli kebab.

 

The high food prices in Pakistan make it hard to eat in someone.

 

The Indo-Pak subcontinent region has been rich in all of its traditions and customs since time immemorial. The current Pakistani cuisine is traditional is some of its aspects, however, due to the Mughal rule in the subcontinent and then finally the colonization of the British, many of the traditions which of course included the cuisine changed. A rather fascinating aspect of the Pakistani cuisine is that it is not much different from the Indian cuisine. Mostly the same herbs, spices etc are used in both the types of the cuisines. Nevertheless, since almost the entire Pakistani population is constituted by Muslims, and in Islam eating halal food is obligatory, and Pork is banned, you will not find any recipe in the cuisine of Pakistan which does not use halal meat or use Pork meat. Moreover, in the beverage category, you will find many drinks that are traditional to the core, but all of them will be non-alcoholic. The Pakistani cuisine is similar to that of its neighbors: Afghanistan and Iran too. You will find a variety of different foods in the cuisine of Pakistan due to the historical invasions and partition of the Indo-Pak subcontinent in 1947. The main sub-cuisines in the cuisine of Pakistan are the: Mughlai Cuisine, Punjabi Cuisine, Sindhi Cuisine, Balochi Cuisine and the North Western Cuisine. Indeed the cuisine of Pakistan is one of the most diverse, traditional and culturally oriented cuisiThe CUISINE of Pakistan is just as diverse and full of abundant variety as are the people of Pakistan. The legacy of the Muslim rule in South Asia has enabled the Pakistani cuisine to be greatly influenced by its roots of Afghan-Turkic-Iranian roots. Most of the recipes to the cuisine of Pakistan are more or less like the Indian cuisine. The sub regional cuisine within Pakistan plays a huge part in the diversity of the Pakistani cuisine. This is specifically true for the Punjabis and the Sindhi’s in Pakistan. The Pakistani Pushtuns and Balochis have maintained their traditional cuisine similar to that of Pakistan’s western neighbors. In a rather general context, the Pakistani cuisine is a combination of its western (Afghan-Iranian) and eastern (Indian) neighbors. Meat constitutes as being a major diet in the Pakistani cuisine, on the other hand vegetables, pulses and beans are just as important. Wheat and rice are the main staple diet in the Pakistani cuisine. The spices used in the cuisine normally range from being very spicy, hot and mild. Most of the recipes that you will find in the cuisine of Pakistan will be normally spicy. Nonetheless, the cuisine of Pakistan is truly unique and traditionally preferred over other continental cuisines in Pakistan, by the foreigners and the Pakistani’s alike.nes As the sub-continent is so vast, it is not surprising to notice that the preparation methods of cooking the Pakistani cuisine will differ from region to region. Although the preparing a Pakistani meal is not difficult, yet it requires a little tact. For instance, there are various ways of preparing the spices that you will be using in your cuisine. Whole spices in the cuisine of Pakistan are mostly dry-roasted. The spices can vary in thickness as well as hardness and it depends on which meal you are preparing to either use the crushed or ground up spices for use in a recipe. Frying spices is easy, and frying spices greatly depends on which kind of spice you are frying first, for instance, themustard seeds will take you longer to fry than coriander, therefore always fry the spices which might be more time consuming than the softer spices. The meat dishes found in the cuisine of Pakistan are commonly first marinated inyogurt and spices and then cooked very slowly in the marinade. The meat dishes in the cuisine of PakisThere are very few ‘special’ utensils and equipment needed for preparing your meal from the cuisine of Pakistan. Non-stick pots and pans are useful and are found in most equipped kitchens, therefore you might not need to go and buy new ones if you have them already. If you are a creative cook and want to prepare your Pakistani meal in the true traditional Pakistani style then it will not be a bad idea to invest into getting a ‘Tawa’. The traditional Pakistani breads such as chapattis, parathas and rotis are all made using the tawa. Karahi is another deep frying pot which looks quite like a Chinese wok but it is heavier and deeper than the former. The karahi makes a great alternative for ordinary deep frying recipes. Commonly the meat dishes are prepared in the karahi. Other than the traditional Pakistani tawa and karahi, spice grinders, food processors or electric blenders are always useful to make your cooking easy and joyful. Obtaining a few metal skewers for meat and vegetable threading is also a handy utensil.

Pakistan is rich not only in its cuisine but also in its food traditions and festivals. Pakistani’s are genuinely lovers of food. They simply need an occasion to celebrate and with each celebration follows a grand feast. Pakistani celebrations commence as soon as a child is born. To commemorate this occasion sweets from the traditional Pakistani cuisine are distributed among all present on the occasion. The Pakistani weddings are grand in every form of the word. There is a lot of festivity on weddings, every region within Pakistan has a different way of celebrating weddings, but all of them have one thing in common, which is of course the serving of grand traditional food from the Pakistani cuisine. Pakistani’s take great pleasure in celebrating the traditional way. Moreover, if you encounter a Pakistani, he or she will be delighted to simply give you a taste of Pakistan’s authentic cuisine. Serving guests at gatherings with scrumptious delights and meals is another traditional custom in Pakistan.

Pakistani cuisine is a refined blend of various regional cooking traditions of South Asia. Pakistani cuisine is known for its richness and flavour.^[1]

Within Pakistan, cuisine varies greatly from region to region, reflecting the country's ethnic and cultural diversity. Food from the eastern provinces of Punjab and Sindh is quite similar to thecuisines of Northern India and can be highly seasoned and spicy, which is characteristic of the flavours of the South Asian region. Food in other parts of Pakistan, particularly Balochistan,Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, involves the use of mild aromatic spices and less oil, characterizing affinities to the cuisines of neighbouring Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia.

International cuisine and fast food are popular in the cities. Blending local and foreign recipes (fusion food) such as Pakistani Chinese cuisine, is common in large urban centres. Furthermore, as a result of lifestyle changes, ready made masala (mixed and ready to use spices) are becoming increasingly popular. However, given the diversity of the people of Pakistan, cuisines generally differ from home to home and may be totally different from the mainstream Pakistani cuisine.

In Pakistan, main courses are usually served with wheat bread (either roti or naan), or rice. Salad is generally taken as a side dish with the main course, rather than as an appetizer beforehand. Assorted fresh fruit or sometimes desserts are consumed at the end of a meal. Meat plays a much more dominant role in Pakistani food, compared to other South Asian cuisines. According to a 2003 report, an average Pakistani consumed three times more meat than an average Indian. Of all the meats, the most popular are goat or mutton,beef and chicken and is particularly sought after as the meat of choice for kebab dishes or the classic beef shank dish nihari. Seafood is generally not consumed in large amounts, though it is very popular in the coastal areas of Sindh and the Makran coast ofBalochistan.

Curries, with or without meat, combined with local vegetables such as bitter gourd,cauliflower, eggplant, okra, cabbage, potatoes, rutabaga, saag, and peppers are most common and cooked for everyday consumption. A typical example is aloo gosht or literally "potatoes and meat", a homestyle recipe consisting of a spiced meat and potato stew, and is ubiquitously prepared in many households. Korma is a classic dish of Mughlai origin made of either chicken or mutton, typically eaten with nan or bread and is very popular in Pakistan.

Various kinds of pulses, or legumes, make up an important part of the Pakistani dishes. While lentils (called daal), and chick peas(called channa) are popular ingredients in homestyle cooking, they are traditionally considered to be an inexpensive food sources. Because of this reason, they are typically not served to guests who are invited for dinner or during special occasions. Combining meat with lentils and pulses, whether in simple preparations or in elaborate dishes such as haleem, is also a distinctively Pakistani touch not commonly seen in neighbouring India where a substantial number of its population are vegetarians.

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

Popular desserts include Peshawari ice cream, sheer khurma, kulfi, falooda, kheer, rasmalai, phirni, zarda, shahi tukray and rabri. Sweetmeats are consumed on various festive occasions in Pakistan. Some of the most popular are gulab jamun, barfi, ras malai,kalakand, jalebi, and panjiri. Pakistani desserts also include a long list of halvah such as multani, sohan halvah, and hubshee halvah.

Kheer made of roasted seviyaan (vermicelli) instead of rice is popular during Eid ul-Fitr. Gajraila is a sweet made from grated carrots, boiled in milk, sugar, green cardamom, and topped with nuts and dried fruit. It is popular in Pakistan, as well as in other parts of South Asia including Afghanistan.

Delicious Indian and Pakistani foods are presented appetizingly and they don't disappoint! Great spot for couples and friendly for families. When you pass through the door, a warm atmosphere awaits you. And if you cannot stay, you can take away a generous luncheon buffet complete with Naan, a wonderful, fresh Indian flat-bread. Just north of the Eastern Hills Mall on Transit, it's a great stop for Canadian visitors!+