Discover the secrets of healthy, organic and innovative mountain cuisine from the Northern Pakistan
Food should never be the sole reason to travel. Fortuitously for many it is a popular trend for both domestic and international travel. Travelers are classified into different types: Some prefer a 'quick-bite'; others who wish to eat, not only to satisfy their hunger pangs, but for the sheer pleasure of experiencing the food itself - seeking pleasure in taste, aromas, developing their palate, enjoying the texture, indulging in preparation, presentation and sometimes interacting with the chefs and the servers. Many still prefer the local food, prepared on the road-sides or in a local home.
I prefer experiencing the local cuisine - homegrown, organic and natural tasting simple food. I strongly believe in, “travel like a local”, “live like a local” and "eat like a local"!
For breakfast they normally serve, eggs (poached, fried, omelet) and sometimes flat bread (roti) with home churned butter.
Hunza valley is the most alluringly beautiful places in Pakistan. The lush green terraced fields, fruit orchards, culture, history and soaring glacial peaks. Home to one of the healthiest and happiest people in this part of the world, whose health records qualify them as some of the "world’s longest-living, most illness-free people for hundreds of years". Reason being the diet and lifestyle of the Hunzokuts. They still prefer growing their own food and include a range of health-promoting, organic, super rich foods in their diet which is quite unknown to the rest of Pakistan. No trip to Hunza is complete without experiencing the authentic and local food and always bring what you can with you - dried fruit, jams, honey, oils and herbs.
Breakfast
Breads
Hunza bread is considered to be an important breakfast item - made with wheat flour (sometimes a portion of maize flour for extra flavor and texture). The bread is then baked in an earthenware pan. Phitti - the most common breakfast food. Thick and nutritious, with a crusty outside and a soft interior but is time-consuming to prepare. The savoury bread is served with salted milk tea, for most Hunza people do not prefer adding sugar. Most commonly now the bread is baked in heavy based pan on the stove top. Wheat is the most cultivated staple food in this region. Other grains that are harvested include buckwheat and barley. Everyone here knows the difference in taste between Phitti (wild-yeast bread) buried and baked in hot ashes, baked on stove or in an electric oven.
My 3-day stay in Chipursan, I had the advantage and opportunity to live a local-life and eat the local food from breakfast to dinner. For breakfast you must try Phitti or Fitti – a crusty whole-wheat bread which is soft inside and baked in fire. Diram Phitti – a bread made from sprouted wheat flour which gives a natural sweetness to it and is served mixed with butter, almond or apricot oil. The apricot oil creates a sweet aroma to go with the smoky flavours from the wood used in cooking. In Gojal, wakhi people call it Pitok, in Hunza, burushaski people call it Phitti and in Gilgit people call it Chupatti. The bakery baked ones aren't the same, so purchase only if you are really craving it.
Once I was invited into a home in Gulmit, Gojal Hunza and the lady served fresh milk with freshly rolled crusty whole-wheat bread. Thanks to the weather here this bread can be stored for days and not rot. Often it is eaten as a snack with evening tea.
My son and I are personally fond of Pitthi/ Phitti and Arzoq. Arzoq (bread made from flour, eggs, butter and milk) and assorted breads made using wheat and apricot or walnut oils, served with namkeen chai (salted milk tea).
In Skardu, we had this delicious tasting, homemade Keseer at Upper Kachura lake. A pancake cooked in apricot oil, served with local butter. Your palate has to get used to the taste of apricot oil which is slightly sharp-tasting. I am extremely fond of Hunza apricots, in any form - fresh or dried, sweet kernels, oil and jam. It is always great to pick up some local flavour of your destination.
In Kalash, we were camping at Faizi bhai's home-turned resort and he suggested his wife cook us a special Walnut bread for breakfast. A thick wheat bread cooked with walnut oil and crushed walnuts as a filling. These breads will leave you full for hours, even if you took a small slice.
Maltash xae Giyalin (Hunza pancakes) – a mountain crepe made from hand milled whole-meal flour that is coated with apricot, almond or walnut oil, and served with fresh butter. “These pancakes are a traditional dish prepared when a daughter visits her parents’ home after her marriage. It is eaten with chai (milk tea)". Chand Bibi at Hunza Food Pavilion - Karimabad, Hunza served the local pancake drizzled with honey. The place is known for its completely authentic, organically prepared local Hunza Valley dishes.
The 3 stages of Shirik - a local Hunza dish. Made from wheat, dried apricot juice (chamus), milk, turmeric (haldi), masala and cooking oil. We had this at Hussaini, Gulmit, Gojal, Upper Hunza. The bread is served on the first day of Eid.
Soups
Don't expect to find the Chinese soups you are accustomed to in cities. You may or may not find them. Stick to the famous, traditional soups. A traditional Hunza soup is made using homemade noodles. Dawdoo is a very common soup made from chicken stock and homemade noodles. You will not easily find Chicken corn soup everywhere. The best available and flavoursome options in most parts of Gilgit-Baltistan are; Qoroth xae Dowdoo which is a dried cheese soup. Qoroth is a kind of cheese here and Dawdoo soup is made using beef / chicken stock and cooked with strips of chappati. Most places use store-bought noodles now instead of homemade chapattis.
Batayrin-a-Dawdoo is apricot soup, Qaq-e-Moch is dried apricot and noodle soup. Often food is served in a wooden bowl with a wooden spoon called Khapun in Burushski language. I ordered this soup at Hidden Paradise, Karimabad Hunza, which looked incredibly rich and appetizing.. As expected it tasted sweet with no added sugar and bits of apricots – slightly over-whelming for my taste.
At Astore we were staying at a hotel where they served us this special soup. Astore is one of the 10 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. The soup was made from store-bought noodles, elbow macaroni and shredded pieces of beef. It was moderately spicy in taste but a kind gesture to share something special they cooked that night.
If you happen to travel and stop at the junction of Gilgit Skardu road, you must try this special soup at Astak nala. A clear mild soup with pieces of meat, will leave you feeling warm.
The first time I had the most authetic Dawdoo was at Passu Tourist Lodge - Passu, with hand-cut noodles made from the local wheat. They use minced chicken or meat, add in a few slices of onion and season it with cumin and cilantro. The soup has a golden buttery broth and best during cold temperatures. The textured noodles are chewy with smalls bits of meat mixed within. Qoroth, dried cheese, sour in taste and rock-hard in consistency is used in Dawdoo. You have to make your taste buds more receptive to new food choices to enjoy it. This soup can be made with Wild Thyme (tumoro) as well.
Craving soup in Kalash valley, Chitral district, this is the best they could serve us before closing down. Often you have to settle on what is available in the mountains. Yakhni is a broth made out of bones, either chicken or meat bones, sometimes with a bit of meat. Boiled for hours in water, the boiling process draws extracts flavours and nutrition from the bones.
Main Courses
A variety of food in Hunza Valley looks and feels so simple, natural and healthy. You will find a mix of lentils with potatoes and sometimes carrots, spinach, tomatoes or whole-wheat and normally served with wild thyme tea (tumoro). The food is not fried and there is very little oil, sometimes home-pressed apricot oil brushed lightly; contrary to what we were used to with Pakistani cuisine. The oil they use commonly for cooking purposes is home pressed apricot oil, almond oil or walnut oil.
What?!! You traveled to all the way to Hunza and never ate this?! Yeah, that is how people react when you tell them you skipped this very popular Gilgit - Baltistan cuisine. The most recognized and widely-eaten dish in the region is Chapshuro often referred to as Hunza pizza. It is made with chicken/vegetable/beef/mutton – whole wheat chappati wrapped around meat, vegetable and spices cooked and baked in oven. You may order all vegetarian one too, minus the meat and replacing it with local cheese.
Mamtu, one of Gilgit Baltistan’s famous must-eat traditional food. Mamtu (dumplings) is a steam cooked dish which is filled with chopped onion, fresh herbs, chilly, garlic and meat (lamb or beef). It is steamed for several hours in a multi-layer steamer. Mamtu is served with soy sauce, vinegar, spiced red sauce or regular ketchup whichever condiment pleases your palate.
Khundha mulberry syrup eaten with Qisstaa (bread) and homemade melted butter. I can safely declare that this is so far the best thing I have feasted on, in Gulkhin,Gulmit.
White, pink, dark red or blackish mulberries are used to make this syrup. First the mulberries are squeezed through a cloth and juiced. This juice cooks for hours on low flame. It gets this dark colour once the natural sugar starts to caramelize. A time and lots of wood consuming process therefore very rare to find.
Since people grow their own vegetables and it cooks easily given the altitude and woods for the fire, with or without potatoes, vegans will have no problems at all!
Daal Maash (mixed lentils) or other kinds of lentils is on the menu almost everywhere and available at all times and is generally served with baked roti (baked in cylindrical clay oven).
Chilpindok - large chapattis spread with pai – homemade yogurt, qurut – local dried cheese and butter / yak oil, stacked in piles. Delicious and very fulfilling because of the pure rich flavourings. This special dish is for guests in Shimshal, a village located in Gojal Tehsil of Hunza District, in the GB.
Giyaling / Garal - Leveled bread, with a range of wheat or grain flours and served by spreading butter on bread. A savoury breakfast, cooked on usual and on special occasions. Normally it it is best with namkeen chai (salt tea). It has a delicious smoky flavour if cooked on a flat iron plate that usually comes from a wood-burning stove or fire.
This delicious Eid breakfast of Pai (handmade local yogurt) and Shaapik (roti) was served by Gulshad begum, who just insisted and invited us over on Eid first day at her mud-house near Borith lake, Gojal Hunza. A simple and hearty dish served with love, on a hand embroidered beautiful cloth stitched by this really old yet strong lady - exuberant to serve a guest. A perfect combination with a light cup of hot milk tea with a dash of Himalayan pink salt.
Tzamik potatoes, a dish I have ordered twice at Hidden Paradise, Karimabad Hunza. It's a creamy dish of large sized potatoes cooked with crushed sweet apricot kernels. Thick and velvety in consistency the bowl is enough to fill your belly for the day.
Burustz Berikutz, fresh mountain cottage cheese mixed with herbs, stuffed in flat roti brushed lightly with locally pressed sweet apricot kernel oil. Hidden Paradise, Karimabad Hunza is the best choice for a range of Hunza cuisines. The first time I visited this place I had Mulida Chhagurum – chappatis are crushed together and mixed with onion, local yogurt (pai) and apricot oil. This dish is served cold and tasted fresh.
The two extremely creamy and high-flavoured dishes that I had at Hidden Paradise. I am quite sure these nutritious dishes provide a lot of energy to people who traditionally work outdoors all year-round in these treacherous mountains. Harissa served on special occasions is made from pre-boiled meat with local brown wheat. The meat is boiled and stripped. These strips are mixed with the wheat, along with a healthy serving of apricot oil, and continue to cook until it looks like an extremely delicious thick stew. Holio Garma a dish with local spinach (sonchal), potatoes, apricot kernels and strips of chapatti, cooked together in a pot to make a wholesome meal.
Pizza Pamir at Karimabad Hunza is the pioneer of Pizza in the mountains. Their slogan: Bringing the organic taste of mountain herbs from the Karakoram Range; serving the best Pizza in the heart of Hunza valley.
People of GB are dependent on potatoes and dried meat stored in the month of December. Farmers bury freshly harvested potatoes ahead of harsh winters. Concealed under frozen earth the potatoes remain fresh and usable after several months. The ancient storage method is used widely throughout GB region. Do not expect potatoes to be available at all times. Do not expect french fries and potatoes wedges to be available at all times.
Try these delectable cuisines from any roadside cafe.
We had these appetizing and distinctive dishes at a home in Gulmit. The trip organizer Mujahid Ali took us to a relative's home where pre-wedding festivities were going on. The food served a day before the wedding ceremony took place. Mulida – made with chappatis, local cheese and apricot oil. So you take a spoonful of the crushed roti and dip it in oil. Chamuriki is crushed chappati mixed with apricot or walnut oil. The other dish served after the appetizers was a non-spicy aromatic dish of rice with potatoes and chicken cooked in spices and garnished with fresh mint leaves.
The cook at the hotel we were staying in at Skardu, offered us to try this dish - Prapu / Prapoo, that he prepared for his dinner. Baked organic buckwheat, hand kneaded pasta / noodles boiled until soft and then cooked in walnut or almond sauce. Covered in a thick paste which includes ground walnuts, pressed apricot oil and served with local herbs.
At Fong Khar Restaurant, Shigar Fort, Skardu, we ordered Frus Fulka (I love the name!) and Chicken Fasanjoon. Frus Fulka is a chapatti stuffed with homemade cheese, chopped onions, tomato, coriander, local spices and drizzled with apricot oil. The slightly dry chapatti of the Frus Fulka combined with cheese and chopped vegetables was very satisfying. Chincken Fasanjoon is a dish with chicken breast prepared in walnut sauce, slightly creamy nuttier savoury gravy is served with flat chapattis.
At Yabgo Khar Restaurant, Khaplu Fort, Skardu, we ordered a Furfur Salad prepared with fresh seasonal vegetables with homemade pasta tossed in, drizzled with apricot oil and seasoned with local spices. Feyuk Shaa Moskut is a traditional Balti dish with pieces of mutton cooked in rich sauce of crushed almond, walnut and herb sauce with fresh wheat chapattis.
Somewhere on our way back from Gilgit we stopped at a roadside cafe and devoured this daal (lentil), bottle-guard (vegetable) and namkeen gosht (salted meat with gravy). The hotels by the road serve the best tasting food.
Fish (Trout)
The most good-looking trout I have ever been served in the mountains! It was very elegantly served garnished with freshly sliced carrots, tomatoes and bell pepper. Slightly crunchy on the outside, gently fried and very little salt, keeping the natural flavours of the fish alive.
After a few disappointed trout dishes we decided to purchase, slice, season and fry it ourselves. With a dash of salt and lightly greased pan, this fish tasted finger-lickin' lip-smackin' Dee-Licious!
* A known fact: At higher altitudes, air pressure is lower. When atmospheric pressure is lower (at a higher altitude), it takes less energy to bring water to the boiling point. Less energy means less heat, which means water will boil at a lower temperature at a higher altitude. So, have patience when you place orders.
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