Use the regional background below as a starting point for exploring the food, rather than expecting one dish to represent every household. Food traditions differ within a country and continue to change through travel, migration, and everyday cooking.

In this storyOverviewVegetable and legume dishesMeat dishesRice dishesVarieties of breadStreet FoodTea varieties

Overview

Pakistani cuisine (romanized: pākistānī pakwān) is a blend of regional cooking styles and flavours from across the Indian subcontinent, Central and West Asia. Pakistan's ethnic and cultural diversity, diverse climates, geographical environments, and availability of different produce lead to diverse regional cuisines.

Pakistani cuisine, like the culinary traditions of most Muslim-majority nations, adheres to halal principles in accordance with Islamic dietary laws, which prohibit the consumption of pork and alcohol, among other restrictions. Additionally, halal regulations outline specific guidelines for meat consumption, including which animals are considered permissible (halal) and the proper methods of slaughter and preparation to ensure compliance with Islamic dietary practices.

Pakistani cuisine is traditionally centered around meat-based dishes. However, the high cost of meat, coupled with widespread poverty, leads many households to substitute meat with more affordable staples such as lentils, rice, and vegetables.

International cuisine and fast food are popular in major cities such as Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Karachi, where local and foreign recipes often merge to create fusion dishes, such as Pakistani-Chinese cuisine. Additionally, as a result of lifestyle changes, health trends, and new dietary research being published, traditional ingredients such as masala (pre-mixed and ready-to-use) and ghee (clarified butter)—with its health benefits and high smoke point—have been increasingly popular.

Vegetable and legume dishes

There are plenty of vegetarian-friendly vegetable and legume dishes popular in Pakistan. These are often cooked using traditional spices and flavoring agents such as chilis, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. Dishes such as baingan bartha and sarson da saag are typical examples eaten in most homes. Aloo mutter is made with potatoes and peas.

There are plenty of vegetables which are grown seasonally in Pakistan, which are cooked into curries which are eaten for lunch or dinner. Some vegetable dishes, such as aloo paratha and channa puri, are also consumed for breakfast.

Meat dishes

The meat dishes in Pakistan include beef, mutton, poultry and seafood dishes. Chicken karahi is a famous poultry dish. The meat is usually cut in 3 cm cubes and cooked in a stew. Minced meat is used for kebabs, qeema, and other dishes. Meat dishes may also be cooked with pulses, legumes and rice. The meat of the camel, rabbit, and many birds like Aari (Fulica atra), Kunj (Demoiselle crane), Titar (Grey francolin), Jhirkri (sparrow), is also consumed.

Rice dishes

Pakistan is a major exporter and consumer of rice. Basmati is the most popular type of rice consumed in Pakistan.

Dishes made with rice include many varieties of pulao:

Bannu pulao – A classic dish from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that combines beef, spices, and rice. The beef is slow-cooked with bones for a rich, flavorful taste, while the rice is prepared separately with ghee and aromatic spices.

Chana pulao – Pulao with chickpeas; a commonly served vegetarian pulao in Punjab.

Matar pulao – Pulao made with peas.

Murgh pulao – Chicken and stock added. Creates a brown rice.

Yakhni pulao – Meat and stock added. Creates a brown rice.

Varieties of bread

Pakistanis eat breads made of wheat flour as a staple part of their diet. Pakistan has a wide variety of breads, often prepared in a tandoor. The tandoori style of cooking is common throughout rural and urban Pakistan, and also has strong roots in neighboring India, Iran and Afghanistan. Some of these are:

Chapati – Most common bread made in urban homes, where a tandoor is not available. Chapatis are cooked over a flat or slightly convex dark colored pan known as 'tava'. Chapatis are made of whole-wheat flour and are thin and unleavened. Tortillas are probably the most common analogue to chapatis, though chapatis are slightly thicker. A variant, known as 'romali roti' , is very thin and very large.

Makkai ki roti, a yellowish-golden-colour chapati which is made with pure crushed corns. It is mostly served with saag, a traditional winter curry.

Kandahari naan – Long, salty naan originating in western Pakistan and commonly eaten with Peshawari karahi or chapli kebab.

Kulcha – This type of naan is usually eaten with chickpeas and potatoes and mostly popular in urban centers of Punjab.

Naan – In Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, the word naan means 'bread'. Unlike chapatis, naans are slightly thicker, typically leavened with yeast and mainly made with white flour. Some varieties like roghani and Peshwari naan may also be sprinkled with sesame seeds. Naans are seldom, if ever, made at home since they require tandoor-based cooking and preparatory work. Numerous varieties of plain and stuffed naans are available throughout Pakistan and each region or city can have its own specialty. Naan is a versatile bread and is eaten with almost anything. For instance, 'saada naan' or 'plain naan' is often served with siri-payay (cow's head and trotters) or nihari (slow-cooked beef stew) for breakfast in many parts of the country.

Street Food

Pakistani street food consists of food that is sold and served on the street and in food stalls and bazaars.

Common street food includes: kebabs and grilled foods, chaat, samosas and pakoras, bun kebabs, and halwa puri. In Karachi, bun kebabs are a longstanding street-food specialty, generally consisting of a fried lentil or meat patty served in a bun with chutney and other accompaniments, sometimes including an egg.

The street food sector is a large part of Pakistan's $450 billion shadow economy.

Tea varieties

Pakistanis drink a great deal of tea, locally called "chai". Both black (with milk) and green teas are popular and there are different varieties common in different parts of Pakistan.

In Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, as well as areas near the Chinese border, salty Tibetan-style butter tea is consumed.

Doodh pati chai is made by cooking tea leaves with milk and sugar, sometimes served with cardamom for fragrance. Extremely sweet, this is a local variation of a builder's tea.

"Kashmiri chai" or "noon chai", a pink, milky tea with pistachios and cardamom, is consumed primarily at special occasions, weddings, and during the winter, when it is sold in many kiosks. However, unlike Kashmir the Kashmiri Chai in Pakistan is prepared with sugar and not with salt.

"Sabz chai" or "kahwah", a green tea often served after every meal in Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Pashtun belt of Balochistan, served with saffron and nuts.

Sulaimani chai is black tea served with lemon.

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