Hazara cuisine

Hazara cuisine or Hazaragi cuisine (Hazaragi: غذای آزارگی) refers to the food and cuisine of the Hazara people in Afghanistan and western Pakistan (Balochistan province). The food of the Hazara people is strongly influenced by Central Asian, South Asian cuisines and shares similarities with neighboring regional cuisines in Afghanistan and Central Asia. However, there are certain dishes, culinary methods and styles of cooking that are unique to the Hazara people.

The Hazara people have a hospitable dining etiquette. In Hazaragi culture, it is customary to prepare special food for guests, and to honor them with the best seats during meal times. Most Hazaras eat food with their hands, as opposed to using cutlery and dining utensils such as forks, knives, or spoons. The diet of the Hazara people is largely based on the intake of high-protein foods such as meats and dairy products. They use large amounts of oil in their cooking. A typical Hazara meal/dining course normally consists of cooking one type of food or dish, rather than a wide selection. However, in large formal gatherings or during the presence of guests, a variety of foods may be cooked in the household.

Hazara cuisine is largely centred on breads. There are three main types of breads consumed by Hazara people:

• Tawa bread, baked on hot plates
• Tandoor bread, which is baked on a sunken oven known as the "tandoor"
• Nan-buta bread, a thick, brick-sized bread.

Rice is less frequent in rural Hazara cuisine due to its expense. Tea is a popular beverage among the Hazara people. Fruits and vegetables are only consumed when in season.

Dishes

• Ard Biryo - A sweet halwa made from flour, sugar, and butter.
• Ashak (also Aushak) - A type of traditional Hazara (commonly) with a garlic chive filling.
• A’sh - A noodle-based dish made from stiff dough strands, minced meat, legumes, vegetables, butter, and sour fermented milk or qurut.
• Aw joshak
• Bijindak and Sij - Wild vegetables cooked either alone or with meat.
• Bolani
• Bosra’gh - A hard sweet cake made from wheat flour kneaded in milk and fried in butter; keeps well and is often taken on journeys.
• Changali or Malida - basically a dessert but mostly served with black or green tea for breakfast.
• Chapli Kebab
• Dalda - a dish made of boiled crushed wheat served with melted desi ghee or butter, often with brown fried onions.
• Halwa e Samanak - also called Halwa e Sia (Sia meaning black) or Surkh, is a mixture of flour, germinated wheat and water which is fried in oil and then simmered for four hours to harden. It tastes sweet even though no sugar is added.
• Haleem - A thick paste made from meat, wheat, legumes, rice, and spices, slow-cooked for long hours.
• Ishkina - A soup made with eggs, onions, butter, and dried apricots or tomatoes.
• Kebab
• Kichri Qurut - A rice mash served with liquefied qurut and hot butter.
• Kocha - Whole wheat cooked with mutton and/or head and trotters, sometimes including pieces of lamb tail fat; often eaten cold at breakfast.
• Kofta (including Nargisi Kofta) - Minced meatballs prepared with legumes, spices, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs wrapped in meat, sliced to resemble narcissus flowers.
• Leiti - Wheat flour cooked in milk and salted, prepared into a thin paste.
• Mantu
• Nan-e-Javari - Plain corn bread, typically served fresh and hot with butter.
• Naan Butta
• Ogra
• Omach - A soup made from wheat flour, turnips, butter, and pepper; considered easily digestible and traditionally given to women after childbirth.
• Osh
• Pai'cha ia - A wintertime speciality of boiled cow or sheep parts, which might include the head or/and feet. Onion, garlic, salt, oil and wheat berries are added, sometimes lentils or other legumes are also added. It is put to simmer for hours on low heat. This is very rich in gelatin and minerals.
• Palao - Rice boiled in water, sprinkled with hot butter and seasoned with spices;
• Perki - Minced meat and vegetables folded in thin wheat-flour bread and fried in butter.
• Qabardagh - also called Surk Kada in some regions is meat, preferably ribs, that is fried with garlic and salt and later steamed.
• Qorma - Mutton fried in butter and salted; keeps well and is often taken on journeys.
• Qurti
• Shir Birinj
• Shir Rogho - hot milk tea with butter added.
• Shorwo
• Traditional Hazaragi Aash - is plain noodles with Kashk/Ayran (yogurt), fresh mint and salt. Also in Hazarajat, a powder called "Pudina" (a plant, closely related to mint that grows only in Bamyan) is added on top.
• Yakhni

See also

• Afghan cuisine
• Pashtun cuisine
• Tajik cuisine