It is common that most people around the world have their culture of life and even food. The spread of Islam in Pakistan in the 18th century is one of the factors which affected the type of cultural food in Pakistan. Muslims strictly follow the Quran and this dictates what to and not to eat. The Quran prohibits eating pork and drinking alcoholic beverages and this has led to most Pakistanis develop great tastes to beef, chicken, lamb and fish as basic foods. Here are popular Pakistan cultural foods:
This is an average Pakistan breakfast comprising of eggs (fried/boiled/scrambled/omelette), a chunk of cut bread or parathas with tea, lassi, minced meat or even any type of fruits e.g. mangoes, melons or bananas. The breakfast can also entail margarine, jam, nectar, shami kebab or nuts depending with preferences or affordability.
This is common to individuals who can afford meat e.g. sheep and poultry. The karahi system involves cooking the meat with vegetables and then served in its own particular container. A Jalfrezi which is a meat blend that has tomatoes, eggs and chilies can be an alternative to chicken karahi. Alternatively, some people prefer Tikka and bhoti kebab which are barbecued on a thin stick over an open fire. People have different preferences and tastes and this wide menu helps meet the needs of different people.
Raita (Yogurt and Vegetable salad)
Raita is a dressing used on spicy foods to cool them down. Normally, there are different recipes of making raita varying from simple to complex raita. A simple raita is served when a family is having a normal family dinner while the fancier one is usually served when the guests come over. In addition, some families cannot afford the complex raita due to financial constraints and hence they opt to go for the simple raita.
Lassi (yogurt drink)
This is a well-known drink in Pakistan whether sweet or salty. Sweet lassi is usually taken for breakfast while the salty one for supper or lunch. Some Pakistanis like having sweets e.g. kheer which is rice pudding or kulfi which is a pistachio dessert.
Biryani and pulao
These are the most common type of food in Pakistan. The food is made from rice and any type of meat fried or boiled. Biryani is available with different structures and shapes and even formulas e.g. mutton biryani from sheep, beef biryani, Tikka biryani, Aalo biryani, Sindhi biryani among others. Most people around Pakistan have developed their own tastes and formulas making it widespread and common. In most ceremonies, biryani and pulao are a necessity and they must be prepared.
These are not really dishes but they are prepared to add to a Pakistani dinner table. Kebabs are made from minced meat while naan is made from flour dough. There is a wide variety of kebabs in Pakistan ranging from Tikka kebab, Gola, Shami, Seekh kebab among others. Naan is also available in many form among them Roghni, Aloo, Keema among others.
Most Pakistan cultural food are prepared from readily available ingredients which are mainly nutritious.