Like hospitality, food is part of Pakistan’s culture. I love eating in Italy and cook Thai and Malaysian food all the time at home, but the taste of Pakistani food brings tears to my eyes. Fragrant and spicy, many local dishes carry a cultural heritage rooted in geography and the complex history of the country.
From all the times I’ve stopped off to eat karahi (a work-based chicken stew of tomatoes and ginger) on my trips to the north, and chapli kebabs (spiced meat patties) from Nowshera to steaming hot dum biryani on a Friday or the charred spices left clinging to my fingers after a late-night chicken tikka and ice-cold kulfi melting on my tongue, no cuisine on earth tastes as good. In Pakistan, even the simplest things are delicious, my mother-in-law’s plain yogurt for example.
Unlike the rest of the world, the fruit is seasonal, so you can only eat what’s in season, and it’s so fresh. In Hunza, the land of apricots, food is cooked in apricot oil, if you ever go, make sure you eat the pancakes at Cafe De Hunza.
Along with using local produce, Pakistan’s dishes take on methods and flavors from different influences. Northern food is not as spicy and draws on Afghanistan (Kabuli pulao for example), Lahori cuisine is more robust with traditional Punjabi elements (rich gravies made from dairy and butter), Kashmir has its own style of cooking, while Karachi is probably one of the greatest food destinations on the planet. The metropolis is full of things to devour, from the exquisite BBQ and street food on the iconic Burns Road to early morning breakfasts at Boat Basin and drinking sweet chai and salty parathas at a makeshift cafe on the side of a road, any foodie worth their salt, will rejoice.
Along with using local produce, Pakistan’s dishes take on methods and flavors from different influences. Northern food is not as spicy and draws on Afghanistan (Kabuli pulao for example), Lahori cuisine is more robust with traditional Punjabi elements (rich gravies made from dairy and butter), Kashmir has its own style of cooking, while Karachi is probably one of the greatest food destinations on the planet. The metropolis is full of things to devour, from the exquisite BBQ and street food on the iconic Burns Road to early morning breakfasts at Boat Basin and drinking sweet chai and salty parathas at a makeshift cafe on the side of a road, any foodie worth their salt, will rejoice.
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