Lahori cuisine
Encyclopedia
Lahori cuisine refers to the food and cuisine of the city of Lahore
in Punjab
, Pakistan
. Lahore is a city with an extremely rich food culture. People from Lahore are famous all over the country for their love for food. The city offers a vast variety of options when it comes to gastronomy. In recent times, the style of food has achieved popularity in a number of different countries, mainly through the Pakistani diaspora.
within South Asia
influenced the local cuisine to a great degree. Since Muslim
s are forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol and the Halal
dietary guidelines are strictly observed. Pakistanis focus on other areas of food such as beef
, lamb, chicken
, fish
, and vegetables as well as traditional fruit
and dairy
. The influence of Central Asia
n, South Asia
n and Middle East
ern cuisine in Pakistani food is ubiquitous.
Today, much of the food of Lahore is influenced by the Mughlai cuisine
. Along with traditional local food, western and foreign food are popular throughout the city and have often been fused with local recipes to create refined tastes; Pakistani Chinese food is largely available.
is the largest bakery and sweet chain in the city.
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Lahore is a city with an extremely rich food culture. People from Lahore are famous all over the country for their love for food. The city offers a vast variety of options when it comes to gastronomy. In recent times, the style of food has achieved popularity in a number of different countries, mainly through the Pakistani diaspora.
Historical influences
The arrival of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
within South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
influenced the local cuisine to a great degree. Since Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s are forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol and the Halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
dietary guidelines are strictly observed. Pakistanis focus on other areas of food such as beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, lamb, chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, and vegetables as well as traditional fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and dairy
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
. The influence of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern cuisine in Pakistani food is ubiquitous.
Today, much of the food of Lahore is influenced by the Mughlai cuisine
Mughlai cuisine
Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking style used in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Pakistan and in parts of Dhaka in Bangladesh and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh...
. Along with traditional local food, western and foreign food are popular throughout the city and have often been fused with local recipes to create refined tastes; Pakistani Chinese food is largely available.
Popular dishes
The following is a list of some foods of which Lahore is renowned for having unique tastes.- Gosht karahiKarahiA karahi is a type of thick, circular, and deep cooking pot used in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Nepalese cuisine. Karahi are traditionally made out of cast iron, and look like woks with rounded bottoms...
(chicken or mutton cooked with a spicy tomato-based gravy in a concave-shaped cooking vessel that resembles a wok) is a speciality of Lahore. - Dal gosht (meat cooked with pulses)
- Murgh Cholay/Channay (chicken cooked with chickpeas)
- Murgh Musallam (chicken cooked with rice and dry fruits stuffed inside)
- Seekh kababs (PashtoPashtun peoplePashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
-style minced meat rolls) - Gol gappaPanipuriThe golgappa also known as panipuri पानीपूरी, , pani ke pataashe, pāṇīpurī, pāṇī purī, term used in Western India, phuchka , or gup chup is a popular street snack in India. It is a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of water, tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion...
- Dahi bhallay (appetizers dipped in yoghurt)
- ShawarmaShawarmaShawarma is a Levantine Arab sandwich-like wrap of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or mixed meats. The meat is placed on a spit, and may be grilled for as long as a day. It is eaten with pita bread, tabbouleh, fattoush, taboon bread, tomato and cucumber. Toppings include tahini, hummus,...
- Chicken tikkaChicken TikkaChicken tikka is a chicken dish served in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. It is popular in countries all over the world. It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers, in a clay-based oven called a tandoor, after marinating in spices and yogurt.The word tikka means "bits,...
(barbecueBarbecueBarbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
-style fried chicken pieces) - BiryaniBiryaniBiryani, biriani, or beriani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā which means "fried" or "roasted"....
(popular South Asian rice dish; the biryani of Lahore is known for its unique taste) - HaleemHaleemHaleem is a thick Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and South Asian dish. In Anatolia, Iran, the Caucasus region and northern Iraq, types of haleem are Keşkek and Harisa. Harisa is also a popular version in Pakistan. Although the dish varies from region to region, it always includes wheat, lentils and meat...
- FaloodaFaloodaFalooda or Faluda is a cold and sweet beverage with many ingredients very popular in South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup with vermicelli, psyllium or basil seeds, jelly pieces and tapioca pearls along with either milk, water or ice cream.Falooda is an adaptation of the...
- Halwa PooriHalwa PooriHalwa poori is a part of traditional Indian cuisine.The food is served as prasada by Hindus and Sikhs in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh...
- a breakfast speciality of Lahore - NihariNihariNihari is a popular meat dish of Pakistanis of South Asia. Its roots lie in the Nawab kitchens having achieved fame via the storied royal kitchens of Lucknow in present-day Uttar Pradesh, long the seat of the Nawab of Avadh and is also relished in India by Muslims and non-Muslim foodies...
- SamosaSamosaA samosa is a stuffed, deep fried,snack that is very popular in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa...
- KheerKheerKheer also known as Payasam or Payesh is a rice pudding, which is a traditional South Asian sweet dish...
- Paya (dish)
- Lahori Fried Fish
- Chargha (Lahori-style roast chicken)
Food industry
The food industry is one of the largest and busiest in Lahore. Numerous food chains have sprung up catering to the demands of consumers. Gourmet FoodsGourmet Foods
Gourmet Foods is a bakery and confectionery chain based in Lahore, Pakistan. With 7 processing units and over 100 stores in Lahore, it figures as the city's largest and fastest growing bakery network. The company was originally founded by Muhammad Nawaz Chatha in 1987, to become a highly popular...
is the largest bakery and sweet chain in the city.