My younger brother, inspired by YouTube success stories about food and cooking, recently tried his luck as an entrepreneur.

With the help of our mother, he created a traditional Punjabi spice mix, basaar, and packaged it attractively to market it on social media. Surprisingly, he had to educate Punjabi consumers about basaar and its origins. This lack of awareness didn’t shock me. Our generation often prioritises instant gratification over research or learning history.

Before I go any further, let me tell you about basaar. It is a Punjabi/Kashmiri spice mix, which has mustard oil as its base. A variety of herbs and ground spices are added to it, such as fried garlic, red chillies, mustard seeds, turmeric and cumin, among others. It has regional flavour profiles, based on personal preferences and the tastes of the people using it, and dates back to before the time modern spice mixes hit the market shelves.

As someone deeply interested in food and its history, I find it surprising that more people aren’t fascinated by it. Food nourishes both the body and the soul, impacts our environment, inspires art and influences politics.

A food aficionado explains his love for Punjabi cuisine and the importance of understanding the history of food

The Russian Revolution, for instance, was fueled more by food shortages than ideological debates. Our expulsion from Eden was over an apple (or wheat, depending on the scripture). The story of food is the story of humanity and its evolution.

COLONIAL CROSSOVERS

Food is a powerful social and political force. Europeans once ate such bland food that they embarked on global quests for spices, leading to the colonisation of India and much of the world. Ironically, despite their pursuit of spices, many European cuisines remain limited to salt, pepper and cheese. This isn’t a trivial topic — each point here could be explored in depth.

Consider tea. Initially consumed without sugar, tea became sweetened when sugar — abundant in India and Pakistan — was added to it to increase sales. This demand led to the transatlantic slave trade, as Africans were enslaved and sent to the Caribbean to grow sugar cane. Thus, food has significantly shaped our political world and histories.

Historically, food was influenced by geography, seasons, agriculture, migrations and religion.

Punjabi cuisine, described by the late chef and travel writer Anthony Bourdain as the basis of all Indian cuisine, is a prime example. Punjab’s fertile land has grown wheat and rice since 8000-6000 BCE. The Indus Valley and Harappan civilizations showed evidence of grains, such as wheat, barley and millet, and a heavy influence of dairy products on Punjabi cuisine. Punjab remains one of the largest consumers of dairy products.

Trade routes, such as the Khyber Pass and Silk Route, as well as the Columbian Exchange, introduced new cooking methods and ingredients, such as potatoes, chilli peppers and maize, to the region.

THE SLOW BURN

Francis Mallmann, an Argentine chef, wrote that cuisine largely depends on the fires used for cooking. This holds true for every region. The availability of firewood, coal, or small dry bushes creates different foods.

Punjabi food is largely cooked over low-heat fires for long periods, with boiling being the main method. Vegetables like saag [leafy greens such as spinach] or lentils, such as daal, are placed on slow, heat-producing, dung-cake fires and set to boil, with fat added later in the form of “tarrka” [tempering], using butter or ghee.

Meats were also cooked in the same fashion. Although tandoors have been part of Punjabi cooking since Harappan times, with chicken bones found at many archaeological sites, our favourite tandoori chicken is not a recent invention.

Punjabi food has always been about freshness and purity, with simple and direct cooking methods that focus more on taste than presentation. This simplicity is true for all Subcontinental food, which has historically struggled to be adopted as fine dining in high-end restaurants.

However, some chefs are now pushing this envelope, making local food presentable. Second to grains and lentils, vegetables have always been a staple, always seasonal and cooked with generous servings of butter and ghee. Punjabi food is distinct for its creamy and thick textures, achieved through slow cooking over several hours, often overnight.

Modern chefs aim to highlight the original flavours of food by reducing overpowering spices, a concept intrinsic to Punjabi food for common folks.

A DAILY DOSE OF DAIRY

Punjabi food cannot be discussed without mentioning the use of dairy. We rarely encounter lactose-intolerant people in this region — milk and dairy products, such as butter, ghee and curds, have always been central to Punjabi cuisine. Paneer gives vegetarian cuisine an extra kick and khoya [evaporated milk solids] is used in everything from Lahori chickpea to sweets.

From the tandoori chicken of Harappa to Chinioti mutton kunna [goat meat cooked in a clay oven] and Kasuri fried fish, Pakistan’s Punjab has embraced a carnivorous diet with passion, diverging from its largely vegetarian roots. The soul of the food is found in the streets, where it’s almost always meat, with saag available only in the winter.

We also have a large variety of local condiments, which are much better than the imported ones. Our pickles, chutneys, and murabbas [marmalade] are nutritious, mouthwatering and perfectly complement our cuisine.

GUIDED BY GASTRONOMY

The impact of food on culture and society extends beyond just our region. Across the world, local cuisines tell the story of their people. The French are known for their sophisticated techniques, the Italians for their love of pasta and olive oil and the Japanese for their meticulous sushi preparations. Each cuisine offers a glimpse into the history, environment and values of its people.

In conclusion, the story of food is a testament to its profound impact on human history and culture. From the spice quests of European colonisers to the transatlantic slave trade, food has shaped economies, societies and political landscapes. Understanding this history enriches our appreciation of the food we enjoy today and its role in our collective human journey.

The love that Punjabis have for their food is unmatched, to the point that it might appear to an outsider that we live only to eat. But our culinary traditions are a vibrant part of our identity, connecting us to our past and enriching our present.

The writer is a banker by profession and lives in Lahore. X: @suhaibayaz

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 26th, 2024