Daily Times

With an advent of spring season in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the demand of traditional food including chappli kabab, mutton karahi and kabuli rice has increased manifolds in Peshawar where visitors enjoyed the mouthwatering cuisines on Sunday.

Known as the land of hospitality, Peshawar’s historic Qissa Khwani and Namak Mandi have plenty of food restaurants, shops and hotels of traditional cuisines that attract visitors in substantial numbers and families amid the pleasant change in weather.

Peshawar has been internationally acclaimed for its mouth-watering cuisines mostly brought by the invaders, kings and developed by the people after marching on historic Khyber Pass and later settled here.

Peshawar being an ancient city of South Asia with about 3000 years old history, is home to chapli kabab, lamb Karahi cooked in pure lard and Kabuli rice.

The painda shops of southern districts including DI Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat and slowly cooked beef roush and Kabuli pulao (rice) are being preferred by many foreigners.

Renowned food Vloggers of world fame, Mark Weins of food channel Migrationology and Tevor James of Food Ranger having millions of subscribers also visited Peshawar where they enjoyed the traditional cuisines including Chappli Kabab, Matton Karahi and juicy lamb meat at Namak Mandi, Peshawar.

The famous dish is fried in a specially designed pan prepared in pure animal fat that gives a special aroma, salty taste and flavor to cuisine savored by food lovers. Almost every city of the province and bazaars of Pakistan have abounded cuisines shops where Chapli Kabab is prepared with meat of buffalo, special ingredients and spices on firewood in a cozy environment.

The origin of Chapli Kabab is unknown, however, Qari Javed Iqbal writes in his book ‘Saqafat Sarhad Tarikh Ke Ayeene Me’ (Frontier culture in the mirror of history) that Mughals, Turkish, Ghaznis and Afghans, who invaded subcontinent through historic Khyber Pass, had preferred meat in their dishes that led to the introduction of Chapli Kabab in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Qari Javed writes that Chapli Kabab’s shops was found at Karimo Kababi in Nothia, Jalil Kababi, Mohmand Tore Kabai in Firdous Bazaar, Tarojaba Kebabi on Grand Trunk Road and Bakhshi Pul at Peshawar where travellers enjoyed its delicious bites before marching to Indo-Pak subcontinent for trade and business.

Haji Hazrat Ullah, the owner of Mohmand Toray Kabab at Firdos bazaar Peshawar told APP that people from across the country come here to eat chapli kabab, especially during winter due to the purity of meat and delectable taste besides the freshness of components being used in its preparation.

Despite the introduction of many western foods and snacks varieties, he said the popularity of chapli kababs has not decreased in the province where its demand was increasing with each passing day especially winter and spring.

‘Mutton Karahi’ also known as Karhi Ghost, Dumba Karahi, Balti Ghost and Dumpukhat Karahi in different provinces also attract foodies owing to its palatable taste of lamb fat and minimum use of spices except for salt and green chilies. Food lovers are seen chomping on and hogging on lamb meat immersed in finger-licking lamb fat in the Namak Mandi’s restaurants where food street was established.

“What would be more enjoyable other than to eat lamb meat cooked in its own fat on coal at Namak Mandai” said Imtiaz Ahmad Siddiqui (58), who was standing for its turn for a parcel at a local hotel at Namak Mandi here.

“In adolescence, I frequented to Landikotal with family members to eat lamb Karahi that was slow-cooked on medium flame of firewood “, he said and maintained that “my taste buds still remember that flavor but restaurants of Namak Mandi also offer lamb karahi with the same taste that reminisced me of my teenage.”

Kachalo Paira is another traditional dish that is eaten widely in provincial metropolises and the province’s bazaars. The dish is sold in almost every bazaar of the province and eaten by people due to its own specific savory taste and affordable price.

Kachalo is a kind of calocasia bulbous root that is boiled, peeled and mixed with vinegar, red pepper, lemon juice and served with sauce prepared with tamarind, mint and yogurt. The ancestry of the dish, which is simple, is unknown but it is among favorite among food items of Peshawarites and local Pashtun population.

“My father started selling Katchalo Paira in Karimpura bazar on a pushcart from 1981 and after him, I started serving people in the same locality to earn two times bread for his family,” said Muhammad Sulaiman alias Jani while talking to APP.

“Although this traditional food is known to only old dwellers of the province, the younger generation also relish it due to its tangy and spicy taste.” He said the species has also made deep inroads in Attock Punjab due to its unique taste and health benefits.