Punjabi cuisine is food from the Punjab region of northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It can be non- vegetarian or completely vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts of ghee, clarified butter, with liberal amounts of butter and cream, with home cooking concentrating on mainly upon preparations with Whole Wheat, rice and other ingredients flavored with Masala. For example, Roh Di Kheer is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.
History
It is one of the oldest in world history, dating from ancient antiquity to the modern era. Punjab was invaded by most powerful invaders of history right from Alexander the great to Nadir Shah the Persian to Sher Shah the Afghan to Babar the Mongol. The first known use of the word Punjab is in the book Tarikh-e-Sher Shah Suri (1580), which mentions the construction of a fort by "Sher Khan of Punjab". The first mentioning of the Sanskrit equivalent of 'Punjab', however, occurs in the great epic, the Mahabharata (pancha-nada 'country of five rivers'). The name is mentioned again in Ain-e-Akbari (part 1), written by Abul Fazal, who also mentions that the territory of Punjab was divided into two provinces, Lahore and Multan. Similarly in the second volume of Ain-e-Akbari, the title of a chapter includes the word Panjnad in it. The Mughal King Jahangir also mentions the word Panjab in Tuzk-i-Janhageeri. Punjab in Persian literally means "five" (panj) "waters" (āb), i.e., the Land of Five Rivers, referring to Chenab, Baes, Sutlej, Ravi, Jhelum the five rivers which go through it. It was because of this that it was made the granary of British India. Today, three of the rivers run exclusively in Pakistani Panjab with the tributaries of the other two eventually draining there as well. Indian Punjab has the headwaters of the remaining two rivers which eventually drain over into Pakistan.
Archaeological discoveries show that by about 3000 BCE the small communities in and around the Indus River basin had evolved and expanded giving rise to the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the earliest in human history. The Out of India theory suggests that this drying up caused the movement of the Indo-Aryans towards the Gangetic basin. The next one thousand years of the history of the Punjab (c. 1500–500 BCE) is dominated by the Aryans and the population and culture that emerged from their cultural development in the Asian subcontinent. The Punjab was chaotic due to weakening of Durrani Empire, when Ranjit Singh took the control of Sukerchakias misal. This was achieved through delegation as the Sikhs were unable to take the Afghans out.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (born 1780, crowned April 12, 1801, died 1839)
Kharak Singh (1801–1840), Eldest son of Ranjit Singh. Nau Nihal Singh (1821–1840), Grandson of Ranjit Singh. Sher Singh (1807–1843), Son of Ranjit Singh.
Duleep Singh (born 1838, crowned 1843, died 1893), Youngest son of Ranjit Singh.
The British Empire annexed Punjab in c.1849 AD; after the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars. 1849 : Annexation of Punjab - The British Empire annexed Punjab in c.1845-49; after the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars 1849–1947: British India established
Cuisine
Punjabis have the reputation of being the greatest producers of good food and being the still greater consumers of it. Punjab has bequeathed the institution of Dhaba-originally a wayside-eating joint to the world. The Dhaba moves wherever a Punjabi goes. There are vaishno dhabas where only vegetarian food is cooked in pure ghee or clarified white butter. Dal Makhni, a shining blackish lentil named Urd or Maha of the Dhaba has become world famous and is served in Punjab on all ceremonial occasions.
The British were astonished to see, when they conquered Punjab that on the periphery of every village there was a special Dera or Takia where hospitality was offered to every wayfarer. Even today you cannot come out of a Punjabi home without having had enjoyed its hospitality. There are denominational institutions all over Punjab, specially the Sikh historical Gurudwaras where free board and lodging is offered through out day and night. Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. It is widely popular however there is some ignorance in Western Cultures that Punjabi is cuisine is completely curry based. The level of spices can vary from minimal to very prevalent. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream with home cooked concentrating on mainly upon wheat masalas (spice) flavorings. Though wheat varieties form their staple food, Punjabis do cook rice on special occasions. During winter a delicacy, Kheer is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.
Within the state itself, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes, which are exclusive to Punjab, such as Mah Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag). The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi speciality especially for non-veg dishes.
Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurudwara to all the visitors (without distinction of background) for free. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals. Langar is open to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike.
The exception to vegetarian langar is when Nihangs (in India) serve meat on the occasion of Holla Mohalla, and call it Mahaprasad. There are also variations on langar, for example at Hazur Sahib, where meat is included. Langar is also a common term used across various units in the Indian Army, when referring to a mess especially when there is no building and the food is served in open air (or through temporary arrangements like tents).
Culture
Middle Age Punjabi Culture, during the period of foreign invasions, saw the already very high number of layers and complexity of the Punjabi Culture increase to another level. During this time contributions from Greek, Persian, Mongol and Afghan influences were incorporated into the Punjabi culture Due to the large number of Punjabi People distributed throughout the world, especially Pakistan and India, many people are increasingly experiencing the culture and becoming influenced by it. Traditional Punjabi culture is being strengthened and expanded in the Western world (e.g. U.S., UK, EU, Canada etc.), the scope is huge, ranging from Punjabi Philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, architecture etc
Geographic Location Punjab is located in northwestern India, and has an area of 50,362 km2. It extends from the latitudes 29.30° north to 32.32° North and longitudes 73.55° east to 76.50° east. It is bounded on the west by Pakistan, on the north by Jammu and Kashmir, on the northeast by Himachal Pradesh and on the south by Haryana and Rajasthan. Most of the Punjab lies in a fertile plain, alluvial plain with many rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system. A belt of undulating hills extends along the northeastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas. Its average elevation is 300 meters above sea level, with a range from 180 meters in the southwest to more than 500 meters around the northeast border. The southwest of the state is semi-arid, eventually merging into the Thar Desert. The Siwalik Hills extends along the northeastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas.
Special Equipment
Madhani: It is a wooden churner fixed to a brass pot. It is used for churning butter out of cream
Chakla Belan: Chakla is a small marble or wooden platform to roll out roti or chapatis and belan is a
small rolling pin.
Pauni: It is a perforated spoon used for frying food and commodities
Khoncha: It is a flat metal spoon used for stir frying or sautéing of ingredients
Dori Danda: It is a stone ware pot with a wooden log for pounding
Chimta: These are meant for holding pots and pans while frying cooking etc.
Patila: This is a pot which is made of brass and it comes with a lid and is used for cooking rice and meat .
Culinary Terms
Bhutta : In Indian cooking this means Corn Cobs
Khoya : In Indian cooking this means Dried Whole Milk/Thickened Milk
Tandoori : refers to food cooked in a tandoor(clay pot)
Makhani : To Cook along with butter
Tadka: To temper the food with a mixture of spices either in oil generally sunflower oil or ghee
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