Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: June 23, 2022 | 
| 中文
Nilofar Afridi Qazi speaking at the book launch ceremony of her book 'Culinary Tales From Balochistan' at Serena Hotel, Islamabad
Nilofer Afridi Qazi’s book ‘Culinary Tales from Balochistan’ is an endeavor to map the gastronomic traditions of the largest yet most sparsely populated province of Pakistan. In her book, Nilofer not only documents the various foods from this region of immense topographical, ethnic, and climatic diversity but also traces the origins, evolution, and recipes of the staple food items integral to the cultural and culinary fabric of various communities living in Balochistan including Baloch, Pashtun, Brahvi, Hazara, Makrani, Gwadari, Punjabi, Zoroastrian and many more. It is a passion project that this food blogger and documentary maker, and development practitioner took on during the pandemic. Nilofer, a BA (Hons) in Political Studies from Queen’s University, Canada and with a Master’s in Oriental Studies from Oxford University, has been a promoter of all things Pakistan. She has served as an advisor to government and also worked across Pakistan with international development organizations. What makes ‘Culinary Tales from Balochistan’ much more interesting is the way Nilofer intersperses it with fascinating historical facts, anecdotes, folklore and anthropological references in each chapter. Nilofer’s father is from the Pishin District of Balochistan, so it was natural that after traveling extensively throughout the country and making 54 episodes for her web series, ‘Pakistan on a Plate’, when she thought of writing a book about the culinary heritage of a specific region, she honed in on Balochistan for a deep dive stretched over three years. Youlin sat down with Nilofer Afridi Qazi to discuss her book ‘Culinary Tales from Balochistan’, and how there is so much to learn from observing the dietary patterns of a region.
Sajji, a traditional Balochi dish that consists of lamb marinated in salt and a few spices
We have narrowed down our identity over the years and we have also done the same to our culinary heritage. When there is no proper documentation of our culinary traditions, like so many things that we have erased, there is a real threat that this is also likely to be lost. So, my work has been an attempt to make visible what is invisible. We have unfortunately not been able to find a balance between modernity and civilizational realities. I wanted to draw attention to this contradiction through something that people are comfortable with. In this time of fake news, manufactured identities, and half-truths, if we are able to explore, honour, and own our food, I believe it can have a very positive domino effect. I felt it was important to document what food mapping tells us from both a documentarian’s point of view as well as that of a social scientist.
Kurt
Once we went into lockdown due to the pandemic and were unable to travel, I was doing the last spell of filming for my series “Pakistan on a Plate’ in Karachi. For a person like me who cannot sit idle for too long, this was a signal to begin writing. I decided to focus on Balochistan for a variety of personal, political and culinary reasons. The web series was an endeavor I did completely on my own. There was no interest from public or private sectors and it prevented me from doing anything else. I am definitely committed to do more books, but let us see.
Nilofar Afridi Qazi
The book captures many representative recipes demonstrating the diversity. In Gwadar, you have the fishing community, so despite their Baloch identity their culinary heritage is very different. Then we have the Makranis, who were brought to this area and they have integrated into the larger Baloch identity. Northern part of Balochistan is primarily Pashtun, and they have different traditions reflecting their agriculture, forests and animal husbandry occupations. The south is much more arid, and animal husbandry changes as the topography changes. This is the area of Mehrgarh, which is the seat of the most ancient civilization in the subcontinent dating back to almost 9000 years. It is fascinating to trace what they were growing and eating, when the first settlements were made. The urban centers, such as Pishin and Quetta, have a mix of people settled in them; Hazaras who came from Afghanistan, and people from the Sindh and Punjab. In my book I have tried to capture this diversity of people who call Balochistan their home. It is as complex, layered and diverse as any other part of the world.
As with everything, Balochistan has been impacted disproportionately compared to the rest of Pakistan. While issues such as climate change, deforestation, under development, lack of market access has impacted the entire region, it has impacted Balochistan with more severity. While having fresh greens and vegetables has been a fundamental part of the local culinary culture, they are now only available for people with kitchen gardens. From the nutritional point of view, this is indicative of the poverty that is prevalent throughout the province.
Aash
I have described Balochistan as part of an ancient Central Asian culinary tradition in my book. Where Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and various other parts of Central Asia have jumped into the twentieth century, if you reverse it by say about 700 years that is where Balochistan’s culinary traditions are at. Part of that is curing or dehydrating food so you are able to preserve it in the absence of electricity and refrigeration, and extend the longevity of whatever nutrition you have in such conditions, especially for expensive items such as meat. During the winter months in the northern parts of Balochistan, Landhi is made which is curing of lamb meat. We also have curing of goat meat in the coastal areas with pomegranate powder, because curing lamb meat is impossible due to the extremely hot weather throughout the year. They do the same thing with dairy products and make Kurt by dehydrating lassi (drink made with curd), and then Kurt is used in a variety of recipes. In my book I have documented one such recipe for Aash , which is made by many communities, but I have covered the one made by the Hazara community.
Ka'ak
Oh yes, I didn’t realize the variety of breads Balochistan has. The most fascinating recipe is of Ka’ak (stone-bread). I will not elaborate about it, and for that you must read the Mehrgarh chapter of the book. It is all very fascinating.
Women in traditional tribal societies have very strict social codes in public spaces. They are not very visible and are mostly restricted inside the house. I ate and cooked with and spoke to more women than men for my book. They are the actual repositories of culinary culture and heritage in the private spheres. If you want to talk about culinary traditions or agriculture patterns feeding into food, you must speak to the elderly women. Sajji is roasted and Landhi is cured outside, so you see men doing it. Rosh , if made in large quantities, or Naan baked in tandoors, is done outside. Everything cooked inside is done by women.
Landhi
Majority of Pakistanis, irrespective of the provinces, eat vegetarian food as their regular food intake, because meat is expensive. Carrots and spinach are grown all over southern Balochistan, and lentils were introduced from Iran and Karachi. Since colonial times tomatoes of Lasbela are considered the best in the country. We focus too much on the meat as a sign of wealth, privilege and to show hospitality to guests. There is a perception that everyone eats meat daily, such as Kebabs, Rosh and Tikkas , but that is a wrong perception. Nomadic communities consider livestock a much more valuable asset than to consume its meat regularly.
Mutton Rosh
Balochistan is the fruit and nuts basket of the country. In the book I have several dessert recipes based on ingredients that are available locally. Gwadar has a very interesting halwa which is called Gwadari halwa . In modern desserts, we have Mastung cake, which also has a very interesting story, but I will not reveal too much and you have to read the book for that. Balochistan also has many desserts associated with dairy products.
‘Culinary Tales of Balochistan’ is available at Mr. Books and Kayal in Islamabad, and can also be ordered from amazon.com and beaconbooks.net for home delivery.
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