So what is Pakistani food anyway?

Now here’s an elusive question that I’ve given endless thought to in my years of blogging. Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week! Pakistan was established just 73 years ago, but the food in that particular region has been around much longer. So when we refer to Pakistani food, we are referring to the food of that particular region. When describing Pakistani cuisine, it’s almost natural to compare it to Indian cuisine. But Pakistani cuisine itself is as complex and varied. For example, Lahore, Pakistan and Amritsar, India have a 31 mile distance, so you can imagine how similar the cuisine would be. Similarly, there are undeniable influences of Afghani cuisine in parts of Pakistan. My friend Maryam, founder of the award-winning blog Pakistan Eats, writes more extensively on Pakistani cuisine, and you can find many of her insightful pieces here.

What is the famous food of Pakistan?

Pakistan is famous for its Moghul-inspired cuisine: pulaos, biryanis, kababs, and kormas. In contrast with India, Pakistan is known for its heavier use of meat, particularly beef. I’d like to point out that this blog doesn’t highlight some of the lesser-known, yet equally traditional dishes across Pakistan. For example, my sister-in-law is Pashtun (Pakhtun) and once prepared a delightful, gently spiced Namak Gosht (salted meat). Those types of dishes aren’t mainstream, but nonetheless are an important part of Pakistani cuisine.

25+ Traditional Pakistani Dishes

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a compilation of popular Pakistani recipes that I have on my blog. From my growing collection of Pakistani recipes, I have narrowed it down to just 25+ recipes that I felt were representative of Pakistani cuisine.

Kababs & Snacks

Vegetarian Dishes

Meat (Beef & Goat/Lamb) Dishes

Chicken Dishes

Desserts

Drinks

If you get a chance to try any of these recipes, I’d love to hear from you! If you have a moment, please leave a review telling me how it was. You can also share your creations on Instagram. Thank you!

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