Punjab region is a northern part of the Indian subcontinent which was divided by the partition of India and became Pakistan’s part. Punjab is the most populous province in Pakistan. Punjabi Food has a rich tradition of many local and distinct ways of cooking. Punjab’s one of the most special and popular forms of cooking is the Tandoori cooking that is also popular in other countries like Hong Kong, Canada, India, and the UK.
The most common cuisines of Punjab have been adopted by the ancient Harappan civilization, they are influenced by the agriculture and farming lifestyle. The dishes are popular due to the rich buttery flavors with meat and vegetable dishes i.e. “Sarson da sag” and “makai di roti”. Another dish is karrhi which is yellow colored gravy and dipped in it are small cake shape pakoras made with chickpea powder called “basin”, commonly served with rice and roti or naan. Basmati rice is another popular native-like variety because it is predominantly produced here.
Cooking Style
Like every other province, Punjab has its own style of traditional cooking. They cook in wood-fired and masonry ovens and their modern style includes gas cookers. Whereas the tandoori style cooking involves Tandoor, this tandoori style was adopted from Punjab of India. Punjabis like to eat foods cooked inside a tandoor. This style was basically popular in India after the partition when Punjabis resettled in Delhi. In rural areas of Punjab, the tandoor is called “Kath tandoors”.
Wheat is mainly produced in Punjab as it is the major producer of wheat. Moreover, the food in Punjab is flavored by some food additives and condiments and colored by food colors. Food coloring is specially used in deserts and many other dishes.
Main Punjabi Food Dishes
Punjab’s breakfast has special dishes that show the tradition with representing different regions within Punjab for example, aloo paratha, gobi paratha, paneer paratha, halwa poori, chole kulcha, makhni dodh, falooda, bhatoora, masala chai, Amritsari lassi, Amritsari kulchas, khoa, paya, Dahi, dahi vada, panjeeri with milk and butter.
They love to eat lamb, poultry, or meat. Different styles of different dishes are made by them within different regions of Punjab. Tandoori chicken is one of the most famous dishes. Some other dishes where lamb, chicken or meat are used are, biryani, kebab, lamb roast or chuna gosht, raan gosht, rogan josh, saag gosht, paye shorba, keema, chicken karahi, Punjabi karahi, Shami kabab, nihari, mutton, etc. moreover, Haleem is also served with meat in it. It is a mixture of many legumes and rich protein food with spices in it. It is cooked overnight.
Some of main Punjab’s vegetable dishes are; saag, khichdi, legumes, panjiri, eggplant, paneer, punj rattan daal.
Punjabi desserts are of various varieties such as “kheer” made of rice, milk and dry fruits. Other sweet dishes include kulfi, khoya, amritsari, rabri, sheer korma, malpua, semolina based dessert called halva, sheer khorma.
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