Hazara cuisine or Hazaragi cuisine ( haz, غذای آزارگی) refers to the

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

and

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

of the

Hazara people The Hazaras ( fa, , Həzārə; haz, , Āzərə) are an ethnic group and the principal component of the population of Afghanistan, native to, and primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan and generally scatte ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and western

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

(

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

province). The food of the Hazara people is strongly influenced by

Central Asian Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former S ...

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

cuisines and shares similarities with neighboring regional cuisines in Afghanistan and Central Asia. However, there are certain dishes, culinary methods and styles of cooking that are unique to the Hazara people. The Hazara people have a hospitable dining etiquette. In

Hazaragi culture Hazara culture or Hazaragi culture ( prs, فرهنگ هزاره; haz, فرهنگ آزره) refers to the culture and tradition of the Hazara people, who live primarily in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, the Balochistan province of Pak ...

, it is customary to prepare special food for guests, and to honor them with the best seats during meal times. Most Hazaras eat food with their hands, as opposed to using

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

and dining utensils such as forks, knives, or spoons. The diet of the Hazara people is largely based on the intake of high-protein foods such as

meat Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...

s and dairy products. They use large amounts of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

in their cooking. A typical Hazara meal/dining course normally consists of cooking one type of food or dish, rather than a wide selection. However, in large formal gatherings or during the presence of guests, a variety of foods may be cooked in the household.Hazaras
at Everyculture.com Hazara cuisine is largely centred on

breads Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...

. There are three main types of breads consumed by Hazara people:Central Asian Cultural Intelligence for Military Operations: Hazara in Afghanistan
p. 21 * ''Tawa'' bread, baked on hot plates * ''

Tandoor bread Tandoor bread refers to a bread baked in a masonry oven, clay oven called a ''tandoor''. History Cooking food in a tandoor oven has been done for about five millennia. Remains of a clay oven with indication of cooked food have been excavated i ...

'', which is baked on a sunken oven known as the "

tandoor A tandoor ( or ) is a large urn-shaped oven, usually made of clay, originating from the Indian Subcontinent. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and naan, as well as to roast meat. The tandoor ...

" * ''Nan-buta'' bread, a thick, brick-sized bread.

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

is less frequent in rural Hazara cuisine due to its expense. Tea is a popular beverage among the Hazara people. Fruits and vegetables are only consumed when in season.

Dishes

Popular Hazaragi dishes include: *

Bolani Bolani (Dari: بولانی), also called Periki (Pashto: پارکی) is a stuffed flat-bread from Afghanistan, fried with a filling. It has a thin crust and can be stuffed with a variety of ingredients, such as potatoes or leeks but also graced p ...

or ''Pirki'' basically like paratha, made of boiled potatoes, spring onions or gandana (a vegetable in between a leek and a

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, ch ...

spring onion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chi ...

), garlic, salt and black pepper. * Shir Rogho - Hot milk tea with butter added. * Aash - Traditional Hazaragi Aash is plain noodles with Kashk/Ayran (yogurt), fresh mint and salt. Also in Hazarajat, a powder called "Pudina" (a plant, closely related to mint that grows only in Bamyan) is added on top. * Dalda, a dish made of boiled crushed wheat served with melted desi ghee or butter, often with brown fried onions. * Qurti * Ogra * Mantu, a type of traditional Hazara dumpling with meat filling * Ashak, a type of traditional Hazara dumpling (commonly) with a garlic chive filling. * Naan Butta * Changali or Malida, basically a dessert but mostly served with black or green tea for breakfast. * Shola * Halwa e Samanak, also called Halwa e Sia (Sia meaning black) or Surkh, is a mixture of flour, germinated wheat and water which is fried in oil and then simmered for four hours to harden. It tastes sweet even though no sugar is added. * Aw joshak * Qabardagh (also called Surk Kada in some regions) is meat, preferably ribs, that is fried with garlic and salt and later steamed. * Pai'cha ia is a wintertime speciality of boiled cow or sheep parts, which might include the head or/and feet. Onion, garlic, salt, oil and wheat berries are added, sometimes lentils or other legumes are also added. It is put to simmer for hours on low heat. This is very rich in gelatin and minerals. * Sheer Birinj (sheer = milk), (birinj = rice)

References

Afghan cuisine Pakistani cuisine South Asian cuisine Cuisine by ethnicity {{Afghanistan-stub

Dishes

See also

References