Here is What Pakistanis From Each Province Love to Eat

By Ziana Mazen | 30 Aug, 2015

There is definitely no love sincerer than the love of food, when everyone else may leave you just know that food never will. While some people eat to live, most Pakistanis live to eat. Only in Pakistan would you find everyone saying how their mother is the best cook in the world, and no doubt that comes from the love for food we have rooted deep within.

Also, Pakistani food is NOT the same as Indian food. Yes, we have our similarities but the way it tastes to the way it’s cooked is really different (we don’t have anything known as *read in an American accent* Chicken Tikka Masala – it’s just Tikka bro). Although yes, our food recipes are a blend of most of the countries that we are surrounded by such as central Asia, the Middle East and specially the Mughlai cuisine. Since Pakistan is such a diverse country with diverse cultures the traditional foods vary from region to region.

While KPK is all about that meat, Punjabis get their B.B.Q and Karahi on, the Balochis have blessed us with their Sajji and the Sindhis gave us their Sindhi Biryani. Here is a guide to let you know where the foods that we love so much originate from.

 

Punjab

Tikka/Kebab

Ok so Punjabis cannot live without their barbeque. Chicken tikka, beef tikka, chicken kebab, mutton kebab, mutton boti, chicken boti – name it and they’ll have it all! AND DO NOT FORGET THE CHAMPAIN!

Source: royalbbq

 

Batair

Yes quails, a specialty, usually barbequed almost like a tiny chicken but very fun to eat!

Source: pak101

 

Keema

Aloo keema , matar keema, shimla keema are all enjoyed with roti or white rice. And let’s not forget those school days when our mothers made us those keema sandwiches in the sandwich maker!

Source:fortheloveofyum

 

Shami Kabab

This is probably like a snack, there is no time to eat this thing, and ketchup or mint chutney is your best friend while having this.

Source:Mushkilnahi

 

Gosht

Alright Aloo Gohst , Gobbi Gosht , Saljum Gosht – the list goes on with one as well. This is our stew basically.

gobi-gosht
Source: Love2Cook Via: YouTube

 

Karahi

“Aoo jee” is what the guys usually say at the thought of it but then again who says no to a freshly cooked steaming Chicken Karahi?

white-chicken-karahi_11029
Source: minahalal.com

Biryani

All DAY ERRR DAYY! WE LIVE ON THIS! NEVER SAY NO TO THIS! THIS IS OUR MAGICAL FOOD! Seriously give it a thought. Whenever your mother asked you what you wanted her to cook, was BIRYANI not the first thing that came to your mind?

source: ndtv

 

Khichri

Yes on those sad days, when we had an upset stomach we enjoyed this rice moong daal mixture with Dahi!

source:blush 

 

Sarson Ka Saag

You know winter is here when you can smell saag, best goes with a dollop of butter and some hot Makai ki roti!

Source: feminiya

 

Naan / Paratha / Roti

There are literally so many kinds now it’s not even funny. We have a nuetella naan, cheese naan, zeera naan, kalwanji naan, aloo ka paratha, mooli ka paratha, walon wala paratha, meeta paratha (best childhood memory ever!), besan ki roti, khameri roti, normal roti. But what would we do without all of these!?

 

Halwa Puri

Most of us don’t even know what this magical stuff is made out of but it’s so sweet and those granules just melt in your mouth! You could devour this with as many puris as you want and won’t even mind mixing the achar and chanay with it.

halwa-puri
Source: dawn.com

 

Sindh

Sai bhaji chawal

Not known to many people living within Pakistan, sai bhaji is in fact one of the most popular dishes in Sindh. It’s made from of white steamed rice served with spinach curry – really simple. This is what popeye would probably like.

 

Koki (such a cute name though)

By now we know that we have a whole lot of flat breads going on, and Koki (still such a cute name) is Sindh’s take on flat bread. Its usually eaten like a paratha with a lil dip of some sort here and there or just on its on.

source:kitchennoodles

 

Seviyan

Oooooh sweet sweet vermicelli! The ones we loveee on EID! Comes from Sindh, typically served sweet, you could do a whole lot with it such as sheer khurma with a hint of saffron! Cant you smell that already?

source:ksmarts

 

Mitho lolo (I did not make this up)

Yet another flat bread but its sweet this time , and usually tinier than your normal flat bread , so yay! They usually serve this with chilled LASSI on various occasions. A real nice combination for hot days as far as your lassi is cold!

Source: Blogspot

 

Taryal Patata

If potatoes are your thing then you’d like this one. Kind of like Aloo ki Bhujiya, this is Sindh’s version of it. A very popular and well known dish, the staple of Sindhi diet, this is a form of thinly sliced, deliciously pan fried potatoes with an array of local spices.

Source: healthbenefits

 

Pallo Machi

Things be getting fishy, yes this is your Sindhi style MACHI . Pallo Machi which is made from Hilsha fish and is considered a delicacy in Sindh, can be deep fried and garnished with their local spices. Like most dishes this too has its versions where its cooked with potatoes and onions into a traditional fish meal or simply be barbecued.

 

pallo-machi
Source: pallomachi

 

Thadal

Remember that white drink your mother often offered you in the summer, and you pretty much just gulped it down because it was cold and sweet but you couldn’t quite understand what that taste was? Well first of all it’s called Thaddal and yes it comes from Sindh so to crack that one for you it’s a drink made from almonds and khashkhaash, and that’s what that taste was.

Source: mytamrindkitchen

 

Sindhi Biryani

MORE BIRYANI! But this one is the one with the infinite amount of ALOOS and all of that good stuff. Yes Sindh is to thank for it.

source: pakistanreview

 

Balochistan

Sajji

That joke about the chicken crossing the road, yeh never happened in Pakistan because before they could really cross it this is where they ended up. Just the sight of Sajji makes our taste buds tingle from afar. Sajji is the native and most famous dish of Balochistan. As we know, it consists of the whole chicken (yusss), in skewers (fat and meat intact – more yusss), marinated only in salt, then roasted over coals thus luring us with that aroma. The roasting time takes many hours 🙁 but its worth the wait as it comes out amazing paired with that special rice.

Source: Wefindyougo

 

Kaak

You can eat em or you can try wearing them as bangles, or even hold it as purse. But no seriously just eat this yummy round bread covered in sesame seeds by dipping it in your tea or kahwa.

 

kaak-bread

 

Dumpukht

This one has its variations and is a pretty intense dish because of the resulting flavors. As we know the word DUM means to well give it dum which is basically slow oven cooking, and it’s prepared by letting the meat cook in its own fats. Wouldn’t really recommend it to someone with heart issues, real heart issues not your breakups :p

 

dumpukht
Source: insidecuisine.com

 

Lahandi

Because this is one of those lesser known dishes, looking at the picture you might not be inclined towards trying it ever but its really just our own version of bacon. Sadly we didn’t know it existed, did we? It’s just dried meat, that is consumed mainly in the winters. There is a lot of hard work put into it because the sheep are specially fattened so that their flesh may be more suitable for preparing lahandi.

Source: balochnature

 

Khaadi Kabab

No not a kebab really, it’s lamb barbecue, yes the whole thing :D. The whole lamb or goat is cooked on fiyaaah. That isn’t all because there’s a hidden treat inside, usually there is raw rice in the stomach of the lamb and it cooks by the fats of the lamb.

Source: spreebird 

 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Chappli Kebab

How do you resist these meaty, tangy, spicy yummy Chappli kebabs? It feels so weird to call it a patty but for the sake of description this patty that tantalizes our taste buds is made from beef or chicken mince, onions, tomatoes, green chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, etc. Also the real deal is huge like almost as big as your hand and really thick so do not settle for those frozen fake ones.

Source: mytabeer

 

Kahwa

You haven’t had the real one if it wasn’t from the Pathan holding a huge kettle, whose voice you could hear from a distance saying ” kahwaa, kahwaaa”.  However we’ve all tried it in one form or another, and we all love it. This magical concoction infused with God knows what (Elaichi mostly :p) can be enjoyed with gur or dates on cold days.

Source: windweptwords

 

Kabuli Pulao

If you ever happen to visit a local market in Peshawar,  just around every corner you will find a person trying to convince you to try their Kabuli Pulao, and you really should try it because you won’t find the same taste elsewhere. This Pulao is usually made with lamb and consists of steamed rice but because it’s mixed with raisins and carrots giving it a sweet taste it might not suit everyone’s appetite.

 

kabuli-pulao
Source: yusufzai.blogspot.com

 

Dumba/lamb karahi

If sheep ever went missing KPK would become really chaotic because they loveee their lamb! One of the lamb delicacies is the Dumba Karahi. It’s a fairly simple karahi – mostly just uses salt and voila it’s done!

Source: tumblr

 

Dumba/lamb tikka

Yes it’s all about that lamb. So as the name suggests yet again, these are pieces of lamb on skewers along with lamb fat. Whole lotta lamb fat juice with tender pieces of tikka, one skewer wont be enough for you even if it’s your first time trying it!

 

dumba-tikka
Source: supermeal.pk

 

Mantu (or mamtu or whatever else you may call it)

This is also our take on cute little meat dumplings, which are usually served under a yogurt-based white sauce. You seriously have to try these, they literally melt in your mouth!

Source: tastintable

 

Bonjan

Not the usual eggplant salan we have, this is eggplant cooked in oil with potatoes and tomatoes. It’s special because it’s really different than how eggplant is made in Punjab and a lot more tangy really adds that zing to the eggplant.

Source: pinimg.com

 

Naan (Doday)

Lastly no this is not your average round naan/flat bread. Doday, as it’s called in Pashto, is huugeee and it’s usually oval with all sorts of designs. I’m not sure if you can ask for your own customized one though.

Source: pinterest

 

This isn’t the end though because there some dishes that are enjoyed nationwide such as our beloved DAAL CHAWAL. Not gonna forget that!

source: vegnricha

 

Pakistan has a lot more food to offer but one article cant do it justice, so hold onto your taste buds for more!

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