About Pakistan

Pakistan is located in the hub of the South Asian sub-continent, it is a home of rich historical and cultural heritage; interesting in it's own way. Pakistan used to be the home to one of the globe's most-initial places where people had come to live and build homes, the great Indus Valley Civilization in the pre-historic era, the centre of old empires, religions and cultures. Strategically being located at the historical crossings, it connects Southeast Asia with Middle East and Iran in the West with an accessibility to the landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics. This land has been a witness to the historical and civilization changes with immense impacts on it's people as well as their language and culture.

Pakistan is situated between 24 and 37 degrees Latitudes and between 61 and 75.5 degrees Longitude. China in the North, Afghanistan and Iran in the West and India in the east are the surrounding countries. Arabian Sea lying in it's South having a coastline of 1000 kms length with fascinating beaches. Pakistan is connected with China via land by Karakoram Highway along the famous Silk Route. It is also linked with India by air and road. Afghanistan and Iran have air and road links with Pakistan.

Nature has bestowed upon Pakistan the rare landscape, the towering mountains, plateau, plains, deserts and the attractive sunny beaches are also seen here. Anyway, over 50% of it's area is mountainous, especially it's North and North Western parts which have very interesting mountains on the earth. Impressive remains of continents in collision, fifty million years ago, an extremely large island bumped into the mainland Asia to bring into existence the South Asian Subcontinent and let the Himalayas tower skyward. Huge and mighty ranges like Karakoram, the Himalayas and the Hindukush meet here. Mountains of impressive and frightening heights, valleys of unique beauty, enriched with peaceful lakes of crystal clear blue water. Murmuring streams and springs and roaring rivers, most prominent the lion river "mighty Indus".

Pakistan's large river, 2896 kms long "mighty Indus" emerges in the Southern Tibet and flows North West. Crossing through the Karakoram and Himalayas, it runs through Ladakh and Skardu valleys. It takes turn to South near Gilgit separating Hindukush and Himalayas. From Kalabagh, it flows Southward and after twisting through the plains of Punjab and Sind discharges its waters into the Arabian Sea at a point near Karachi. Four smaller rivers being it's tributaries namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej of course drain the plains of Punjab from East to Southwest before meeting the great Indus. There are number of small thundering rivers, especially in the mountainous region, which also flow into the Indus River.

Pakistan does trace it's history back to at least 2,500 years before Christ. Then a very developed civilization had flourished in the Indus valley area. Excavation at Harrapa, Moejodaro and Kot Diji have unearthed the remains of an advance civilization which existed in most ancient times. In about 1,500 DC the Arayans did rule this region influencing the Hindu civilization and it's center moved further eastward to the Ganges valley. Later on, the Persians occupied and held the Northern regions in the 5th century up to the 2nd Century BC. There are so many stupas and monasteries of the Gandhara civilization which have roots in the 6th Century. At that time it formed part of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia (518 to 330 BC). In 327 BC the Greeks arrived under Alexander the Great from Macedonia and then onwards it reigned under the successive rule of the Mauryans, the Bactrian Greeks, Scythians, Parthians, Kushanas and Sasanians until its final ruin by the White Huns in the 5th century AD. In 712 AD, the Arabs under the command of Mohammad Bin Qasim, after landing at the Southern coast near Karachi, ruled the lower regions of Pakistan for 200 years. During that period Islam taking roots inspired the life, culture and traditions of the people.

In the 10th Century AD the planned conquest of the, South Asian Subcontinent by the Muslims of the Central Asian origin happened. They ruled nearly whole of the Sub-continent by 18th Century. Then British took over reigns and continued to rule the Sub-continent for about 200 hundred years. The Muslim renaissance started towards the end of the last Century when Sir Syed Ahmed Khan; a reputed Muslim leader and educationist launched a campaign for the Muslim revival in Sub-continent. In 1930, the renowned poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal conceiving the idea of a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of India. After seven years of relentless struggle under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan came into being and appeared on the Globe as a sovereign state on 14th August 1947. At that time the British India was divided into two independent states "India and Pakistan" as a result of partition.

Islamabad is the capital of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan has four provinces; North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Baluchistan, Punjab and Sindh with capitals of Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore and Karachi respectively. Also there are the Federally Administered Northern Areas consisting of the districts of Diamer, Gaunche, Ghizer, Gilgit and Skardu. Additionally, there are seven Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Pakistan's total area is 796,095 sq. kms and it's population is 135.28 million (as per 1996 estimates). Major cities include the seaport Karachi (10 million), Lahore (5.5 million), Faisalabad (2 million) Rawalpindi (0.928 million), Hyderabad (0.8 million) and Islamabad (0.340 million). The population growth rate a is about 2.8% per annum. Population is mainly Muslim (97%). There are several minorities such as Hindu (1.5%) and Christian (1%). Urdu is national language while English is used as the official language. Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi and Pushto are the main regional languages.

Pakistan due to the rich historical and cultural heritage, different landscape with a vast range comprising the warm sea beaches, deserts, fertile plains and high mountain ranges with natural beauty in the world do make Pakistan a natural heavenly destination for tourists with different tastes.

Pakistan Food

Basic Subsistence:

At its simplest, Pakistani cooking today consists of staple foods which are cheap and abundant. Wheat and other flour products are the mainstay of the diet, one familiar form being CHAPATI, an unleavened bread akin to a Mexican tortilla. This is made with dough prepared from whole wheat flour.

Another basic food is LASSI, milk from which curds and butterfat have been removed. Vegetables, usually seasonal, lentils are commonly used. Families with larger incomes eat more meat, eggs and fruits. And the more affluent cook with GHEE, which is clarified butter, instead of with vegetable oil.

From the earliest times, the imaginative - and sometimes heavy - use of spices, herbs, seeds, and flavorings and seasonings have helped cooks transform rather ordinary staple foods into an exotic cuisine.

Consider some of the most common of these in wide use in Pakistan today: chilli powder, turmeric, garlic, paprika, black pepper, red pepper, cumin seed, bay leaf, coriander, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, mace, nutmeg, poppyseeds, aniseed, almonds, pistachios, and yogurt.

Their use in a wide range of pickles, chutneys, preserves, and sauces, together with curries of all descriptions and special treatment for meats, sea, food, vegetables and lentils, gives Pakistani cooking much of its distinctive character.

Cultural influences, whether religious precepts, practices, and ceremonies or local traditions, or even esthetic preferences, have made their contribution toward the evolution of Pakistani cuisine.

The Influence Of Islam:
The spread of Islam to what is now Pakistan, starting in the Eighth Century, has given a basic character to the food of the people. The Quranic injunctions against eating pork or drinking alcoholic beverages has channeled tastes and appetites in other directions. Lamb, beef, chicken and fish are basic foods, although their consumption by persons of low income is modest and often ceremonial.

Some of the Muslim feasts involve special dishes. Eid-ul-Adha, which commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's readiness to obey God even tothe point of being willing to sacrifice his son, is observed by the sacrifice of a goat, a lamb, or a cow from which special dishes are made.

On Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of RAMZAN, the month of fasting in the Islamic Calender, the serving of a special dessert of vermicelli cooked in milk is a must. Almond and pistachios are added as decorations as is the silver foil. The latter is so thin that it will disintegrate unless it is immediately transferred from the protective layers of paper onto the dish.

Food And The Moghul Emperors:
Another major influence in the development of Pakistani cookery was the establishment of the Moghul Empire starting in 1526. The opulent tastes exhibited by such Emperors as Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb in art, architecture, music, dance, and jewelry was also extended to food.

A style of cookery called Moghlai' evolved at the Moghul court and even today it remains centered in Lahore. Some latter-day and widely known survivors of court cookery are, for example, chicken tandoori, a dish in which chicken is cooked at low temperatures in special ovens called TANDOORS, and murgh musallum' in which the whole chickens are roasted with special spices and ingredients. SHAHI TUKRA, a dessert of sliced bread, milk, cream, sugar and saffron, is another left-over from the days of the Moghuls.

Perhaps the ultimate Moghul cuisine was reached when the imperial chefs perfected the recipes for desserts made from ginger and garlic. Ginger and garlic puddings are still made in some homes for truly special occasions.

Fruit drinks, squeezed from pomegranates, apples, melons, and mangoes, and called SHARBAT, are an important part of the Moghlai cuisine and, indeed, the inspiration for American "sherberts."

Other Influences:
Cookery in Pakistan has always had a regional character, with each of the four provinces offering special dishes. In the Punjab, for example, the Moghlai' cuisine using tandoor ovens and elaborate preparations is important. In Baluchistan, cooks use the SAJJI method of barbecuing whole lambs and stick bread in a deep pit.

BUNDA PALA (fish) is a well known delicacy of Sind. The fish is cleaned and stuffed with a paste made from a variety of spices and herbs, including red pepper, garlic, ginger, and dried pomegranate seeds. It is then wrapped in cloth and is buried three feet deep in hot sand under the sun. There it stays baking for four to five hours from late morning to early afternoon. THANDAL, made from milk and a paste of fresh almonds, is a popular drink. Cooking in the Northwest Frontier Province is a great deal plainer and involves the heavy use of lamb.

Ceremonial occasions such as weddings have inspired a number of fancy dishes. A traditional dish at marriage feasts, for example, is chicken curry with either PILAU or BIRYANI. FIRINI, made from cream of rice and milk, is an equally traditional wedding dessert. It is served in clay saucers topped by silver foil. At Zoroastrian (Parsi) weddings, which are not frequent because so few followers of this ancient Iranian religion live in Pakistan, a special fish dish is served. This is PATRANI MACHCHI, consisting of sole, plaice, or a local fish called pomfret, wrapped in banana leaves, steamed or fried, and then baked slowly for half an hour.