Pakistani cuisine - online puzzles

Pakistani cuisine

Pakistani cuisine (Urdu: پاکستانی پکوان, romanized: pākistānī pakwān) can be characterised as a vibrant blend of regional cooking styles and flavours from across South, Central and Western Asia, as well as ingredients, recipes and techniques borrowed from the Indian Subcontinent, Persian cuisine and Arab cuisine. The cuisine of Pakistan also maintains certain Mughal influences within its recipes and techniques. The country's various cuisines are varied from place to place, with its ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as diverse climates and geographical environments, and availability of different produce options.

Pakistani cuisine, as in the food culture of most Muslim nations, is structured around halal principles (similar to Judaism and Kosher), which—for example—forbid pork and alcohol consumption in accordance with Sharia, the religious laws of Islam. Many more details of halal regulations apply to meats, which types of animals are acceptable or “clean” for human consumption—for example, pigs enjoy wallowing in mud, and are thus deemed “unclean”. Further important points declare precisely how animals are to be slaughtered; it must be done quickly and with minimal suffering, with the animal’s awareness of the situation being extremely brief (preferably nonexistent, as stress releases cortisol and adrenaline, potentially spoiling meat quality). The animals must also be raised (more or less) “free-range”, with sufficient freedom of movement provided, as halal principles forbid the consumption of sickly, stressed, abused, beaten, cancerous or otherwise mistreated or unhealthy animals. Additionally, animals that are killed inadvertently, or during accidents or found deceased by the roadside, are forbidden, as the intention was not slaughter in those cases.

International cuisine and fast food are popular in major cities such as Islamabad and Karachi; blending local and foreign recipes (fusion food), such as Pakistani Chinese cuisine, is also common in large urban centres. 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.