Lahori cuisine ( pa, , ur, ) refers to the food and cuisine of the city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It is a part of regional

Punjabi cuisine Punjabi cuisine is a culinary style originating in the Punjab, a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, which is now divided in an Indian part to the east and a Pakistani part to the west. This cuisine has a rich tradition o ...

. 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, because of its palatable and milder taste, mainly through the Pakistani diaspora.

Historical influences

The arrival of Islam within

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

influenced the local cuisine to a great degree as Muslims are forbidden to eat pork or consume alcohol along with the other enforced

Islamic dietary laws Islamic dietary laws are dietary laws that Muslims follow. Islamic jurisprudence specifies which foods are '' '' (, "lawful") and which are '' '' (, "unlawful"). The dietary laws are found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in col ...

. Pakistanis focus on other areas of food such as

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing 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. Approximately 95% of ...

lentils The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest produ ...

and

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

as well as traditional

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

and dairy. The influence of

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, 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 t ...

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

n and

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

ern cuisine in Pakistani food is ubiquitous. Much of the food of Lahore is influenced by the local Punjabi and

Mughlai cuisine Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed in the medieval Indo-Persian cultural centres of the Mughal Empire. It represents a combination of cuisine of the Indian subcontinent with the cooking styles and recipes of Central Asian and Islami ...

. Along with traditional local food, Chinese, western and foreign foods 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

Lahore Tikka House (2) - Plain Rice and Lahori Lamb Kabab, Take Two

The following is a list of some foods of which Lahore is renowned for having unique tastes. * Chicken Lahori * Gosht karahi (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 (minced meat rolls) *

Gol gappa Panipuri (originally known as ''jalapatra'' from Mahabharata times) (), phuchka (), gupchup, golgappa, or ''pani ke patashe'' is a type of snack originating in the Indian subcontinent, where it is an extremely common street food. Ingredients ...

* Dahi bhallay (appetizers dipped in yoghurt) * Shawarma/Dhawarma Platter * Chicken tikka ( barbecue-style fried chicken pieces) *

Biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, ...

Haleem Haleem is a type of stew that is widely consumed in South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia. Although the dish varies from region to region, it optionally includes wheat or barley, meat and lentils. It is made by blending or mashing the m ...

Falooda A ''falooda'' is a Mughlai Indian version of a cold dessert made with noodles. It has origins in the Persian dish '' faloodeh'', variants of which are found across West, Central, and South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, ...

* Halwa Poori - a breakfast speciality of Lahore * Nihari *

Samosa A samosa () or singara is a fried Indian pastry with a savory filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, and peas. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region. Sam ...

Kheer Kheer, also known as payasam, is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur w ...

* Paya (dish) * Lahori Fried Fish * Chargha (Lahori-style roast chicken) *

Daal Chawal ''Daal Chawal'' is a 2019 Pakistani romantic drama film, directed and produced by Awais Khalid and written by Akbar Nasir Khan. It has Momina Iqbal, Ahmed Sufiyan, Salman Shahid, Shafqat Cheema, Sakhawat Naz and Babar Khan in pivot roles. It re ...

- Boiled rice with spicy lentils * Lahori Steamed Charga * Lahori Chana Chat * Lahori Daal Murgh * Lahori Red Chicken Karahi * Hareesa - A mixture of Mutton & Lentils *

Fried fish Fried fish is any fish or shellfish that has been prepared by frying. Often, the fish is covered in batter, egg and breadcrumbs, flour, or herbs and spices before being fried and served, often with a slice of lemon. Fish is fried in many parts ...

* Beef Bong Paaye - Beef Shank meat with foots * Chikkarh Chollay - Water Cooked white grains in black pepper * Naan Haleem - Baked Chapatti bread with mixture of Beef & Lentils * Chicken pakora - chicken pieces roasted with Maida * Chicken Sajji - Roasted & Salted Chicken on low flame in hunter style

Food streets

Fort Road Food Street Fort Road Food Street ( ur, , ''Sarak-e-Khorak - Roshnai Darwaza'') is a food street located between Fort Road and Roshnai Gate of the Walled City in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The street was reconstructed and opened in 2012 as a tourist attractio ...

Gawalmandi Food Street Gawalmandi Food Street ( ur, , ''Sarak-e-Khorak Gwolmandi'') is a food street located near Gawalmandi neighbourhood of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Historically it was a posh place and many of the families that migrated to Lahore from Amritsar and n ...

References

External links

Lahori Recipes

A Taste of Lahore: Chowk

Real yum Street Foods of Lahore
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahori Cuisine Lahore

Historical influences

Popular dishes

Food streets

See also

References

External links