Punjabi cuisine is a culinary style originating in the Punjab, a region in the northern part of South Asia, which is now divided in an Indian part to the east and a Pakistani part to the west. This cuisine has a rich tradition of many distinct and local ways of cooking.
The local cuisine of Punjab is heavily influenced by the agriculture and farming lifestyle prevalent from the times of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. Dishes similar to tandoori chicken may have existed during the Harappan civilization during the Bronze Age of India. According to the archeologist Professor Vasant Shinde, the earliest evidence for a dish similar to tandoori chicken can be found in the Harappan civilization and dates back to 3000 BC. His team has found ancient ovens at Harappan sites which are similar to the tandoors that are used in the state of Punjab. Physical remains of chicken bones with char marks have also been unearthed. Harappan houses had keyhole ovens with central pillars which was used for roasting meats and baking breads. Sushruta Samhita records meat being cooked in an oven (kandu) after marinating it in spices like black mustard (rai) powder and fragrant spices. According to Ahmed (2014), Harappan oven structures may have operated in a similar manner to the modern tandoors of the Punjab.
Basmati rice is the indigenous variety of Punjab, and various meat- and vegetable-based rice dishes have been developed using it.
There are many styles of cooking in Punjab. In the villages many people still employ the traditional methods and equipment for cooking purposes. This includes wood-fired and masonry ovens. Modern methods include cooking on gas cookers. Tandoori style of cooking involves use of the tandoor. In India, tandoori cooking is traditionally associated with Punjab as Punjabis embraced the tandoor on a regional level. This style of cooking became popular throughout India after the 1947 partition when Punjabis resettled in places such as Delhi.
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Lassi (ləsːi) is an Indian yogurt–based beverage with a smoothie-like consistency. It has been called "the most popular and traditional yogurt-based drink" in India. It has also been described as the form in which yogurt "is most cherished and unbeatably popular in...Punjab," its "best-loved summer drink," and "the air conditioner of the Punjab." Lassi originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. The word lassi means yogurt mixed with water in Punjabi. Lassi is prepared by blending yogurt, water, and spices.
A tandoor (tænˈdʊər or tɑ:nˈdʊər) 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 is predominantly used in Western Asian, Central Asian, South Asian, and Horn of African cuisines. The roots of the tandoor can be traced back over 5,000 years to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, one of the oldest known civilizations.
Pakistani cuisine (, romanized: pākistānī pakwān) can be characterised as a vibrant blend of regional cooking styles and flavours from across South, Central and Western Asia, as well as ingredients, recipes and techniques borrowed from the Indian Subcontinent, Persian cuisine and Arab cuisine. The cuisine of Pakistan also maintains certain Mughal influences within its recipes and techniques. The country's various cuisines are varied from place to place, with its ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as diverse climates and geographical environments, and availability of different produce options.