Professional Documents
Culture Documents
KORAM S E R I E S
COOKING I N HUNZA
DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF A HEALTHY AND INNOVATIVE MOUNTAIN CUISINE FROM NORTHERN PAKISTAN
CONTENTS
MORE THAN ETHNIC COOKING by Marta Luchsinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .04 HUNZAS PAST CARRIED INTO THE PRESENT by Dr. Julie Flowerday INGREDIENTS APPETIZERS
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
MAIN COURSES
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THOSE BEHIND THIS BOOK by Marta Luchsinger & Mareile Obersteiner . . . . . . . . . . .76
by Marta Luchsinger
The elders of Karimabad are tasting our home cooked meals at the final day of cooking.
invisible, ingredient of this cookbook: the strength of Hunzakutz themselves. And it probably was this condition of the spirit that brought together more than twentyfive women from Karimabad in Central Hunza, in an undertaking accomplished few times before, if ever. These women, who work extremely hard both at home and in their fields, gathered together during three days to prepare the recipes in this book, joining in what can best be described as an alchemical operation. Alchemy, the medieval art of mixing substances and magic
potions to heal both physical and spiritual ailments if these can ever be separated is what happened when these women, their spoons, weights, measuring cups, local ingredients and, especially, souls, joined together to prepare the recipes for this book. Indeed, this book is about more than just ethnic cooking. Through it, all of those who contributed towards making it happen demonstrated how working together for a common purpose can tie the strongest knots of human solidarity. This solidarity was,
first and foremost, among the women themselves and of them towards Mareile and me who proposed the idea of this project and saw it through. These women are the real authors of this cookbook. Although lacking an academic education, they are deeply knowledgeable about the art of caring for others, especially the less fortunate. The women agreed that the funds obtained would be devoted to improve the health service provision for their community. There also was solidarity from the larger Karimabad community and the voluntary participation of many others who were always helpful and inspiring. On the last day of the cooking feat, the village elders were invited to taste the home made cooking: an ad hoc approval committee. And, approval, was smilingly granted. Certainly, this cookbook is about more than ethnic cooking. In it there is a lesson to be learnt about how people can work together, mixing good will into a recipe of self-help to improve the well-being of their community. By buying this book you also will be contributing toward this end.
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idden from our conscious awareness is a palate of taste governing our sense of well-being and social identity. Food informs us of who we are, how well we are, and even how far we are from home. It nourishes a sense of meaning that mixes and mingles with the sinew and soul of our being. Few things are more intimately linked, more closely implicated, and more sweetly and bitterly sensed in our lifes journey, than food. Just how closely food resonates with other changes in a society is, therefore, an intriguing issue. In the Northern Areas of Pakistan, in the high valley of Hunza, food practices have altered profoundly during the last fifty to sixty years. Following the secession from the Maharajahs government of Kashmir and Jammu (1947), Hunza shifted from an indentured agricultural economy, anchored by local hereditary rule (Mirdom), to a state-driven national and global market economy. A benchmark of these changes was the completion in 1978 of the international Karakoram Highway (KKH). Traversing the valley, the KKH became a thoroughfare between Islamabad and Beijing, bringing to an end the age-old local practice of restricting transit through Hunza while, at the same 06
time, opening Hunza to extraordinary changes. Food chronicles much of what happened in the recent period and brings to view a new awareness of what traditional means. In creating this cookbook, women from the village of Karimabad in Central Hunza worked with a Venezuelan Development Attorney and a German Graphic Designer to document the art of their traditional cooking. It is somewhat of an irony to document these womens cooking as traditional because, in 2001, the majority of Hunza households were still making the dishes reproduced in this book. The difference was that older people knew a time (pre-1980s), when rice, chutneys, curries, sugar-processed sweets and other delectable were relatively inaccessible. Now commonplace in local bazaars, younger people accepted the various national and global products as ordinary. They did not know the difference. Strikingly, these new foods were gaining popularity among young and old alike, and the change from local rule to state society was quite tasty. Women of Central Hunza knew the privileged position of
Pakistani foods over their local dishes. They saw the timehonored dishes that they offered as young brides relegated to side-show events at community celebrations. They also recognized that some part of their own identities was being marginalized as traditional. In displacing traditional Hunza dishes in favor of Pakistani and international ones, the life [history] of those associated with these earlier foods was diminished. Disappearing from view was the earlier context to which both food and women belonged. If you were to read the cookbooks recipes from the perspective of an elder Hunzakutz, you would know the time of year any dish was eaten, as well as its place in a disciplined sequence of annually consumed foods. You would also know folktales to go with different dishes, for example the one of Diram Phitti (recipe on page 67). This bread made from germinated wheat flour was prepared during winter and savored especially at Thummusheling, the festival related to the Vernal Equinox (December 21). The folktale connects Diram Phittis sweetness to the seed of life...
Once upon a time, as tales without historic dates begin, a Mir (Ruler) was warned of a conspiracy against his life from within his own ranks. He was told that the Diramiting tribe would take over his realm and that his only protection would be to slay every single male member of that tribe. This he ordered by decree. From the season this wicked deed was committed, thereafter, all crops became infected with an incurable blight, threatening famine. Repentant, the Mirs only hope was to find the sole male Diramiting survivor said to be born to a woman who had earlier escaped the massacre with her unborn child. Both mother and Diramating son were found. The Mir was then told that only a seed cast and sown by this child, symbolically pure and innocent, could rid the crops of disease and secure his redemption. So doing, the Mir abided by his promise to protect the seed of the Diramiting and life once again returned to the soil and the soul of the people of Hunza.
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Thus, diram signifies the sacred seed of life, as well as the renewal of life itself. Such tales, embellished with emotion, were told and retold throughout the dark winter nights. The disappearing context that cradled such stories also included the punishing labor of womens lives. They tended fields scattered up the mountainside, while at the same time raising babies and feeding their families. They carried loads on their backs that weakened their knees and cursed their joints. They raced against time and shuddered at the tempests of rain and sandstorms to protect their perishable harvests. In their free time, they searched for salty tasting earth and hauled it back to enrich their cooking stock.
from flour imported from China. Flour from outside, it was said, might even be mixed with chalk. For the eldest of this Karimabad group of women, the bokhari (small steel oven) had itself been an innovation. They had learned to cook at the shee (hearth) with stone pots, when there was no shuli (pipe) to empty smoke from the single room traditional house. All, however, knew the difference of Phitti (wild yeast bread) buried to bake in hot ashes and Phitti baked in an electric oven. All knew a time when there was only one or if they were lucky two cooked meals in a day and when a meal was a single dish sometimes eaten out of a common pot. These women knew from their younger years the incredulity of drinking tea five times a day and eating three meals a day every day of the year! They also knew that their simplicity and their different manners sometimes embarrassed young people. Why offer the same glass of water to others when there were glasses enough for everyone, a younger person might ask. Yet, older people remembered when there was only one glass in their house and it was customary to offer that filled vessel to
everyone present before raising it to ones own parched lips. The traditional underlies life-informing experiences. On the final day of the Karimabad traditional cooking "marathon and in the cadence of a celebratory atmosphere, Mrs. Tamina Ullah Beg rose and thanked Marta Luchsinger and Mareile Obersteiner. She said, "Thank you for recognizing our labor. No one has ever done this before. Very modestly, she was saying that the past efforts of older women were not without value and were deserving praise; so simple and profound were her thoughts. These Karimabad women, gathering over three days to document traditional recipes, contributed much more than a range of dishes. They added something of their life histories as members of a small community being incorporated into a state system. At some barely verbalized threshold, older people knew the difference between life under the Mirdom (hereditary rule) and life as it was in Pakistan. In contrast, younger people had not experienced the difference. They knew no other existence than living in a nation-state. For them sweetness and bitterness were refined by industrially
processed foods. The recipes in this book were created out of a fierce labor of love. They were the ones that made women and their fathers, husbands, brothers, sons and daughters happy and well nourished. In recreating these recipes you are honoring the cultural heritage of the unspoken heroes and heroines of Hunza.
BON APPETIT!
hile preparing the dishes for this book, the Karimabad women lamented that their recipes could never taste the same as they did in the past. Salt, sold in the bazaar as hunks of rock or granulated, had a different flavor than local sources. Flour ground at a local water mill had a different texture than flour produced by an electric mill, and this was different again
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INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENT S
APRICOT OIL is \traditionally extracted from the kernels by hand. This laborious and time intensive process is slowly being replaced by machines. Theres a bitter and a sweet apricot oil. The sweet oil is the one used for cooking while the bitter one serves as a beauty product for skin and hair.
WHEAT is Hunzas
number one staple food. As rice cannot be grown in the mountainous high-altitude climate, different breads and wheat-based dishes replace rice, otherwise so commonly found in Asia. Other grains such as buckwheat and barley are also cultivated.
APRICOT KERNELS
are very similar to almonds in taste and used in much the same way as a snack and for cooking. Children often crack the hard shell of the apricot pits with a stone to get to the delicious kernel.
TUMURO is a native wild thyme which is found in the mountains surrounding the valley. It is used fresh and dried, mostly to brew it in water where it becomes Hunzas one-for-all remedy, the Tumuro Chai.
CORIANDER is not actually native to Hunza, but it grows easily in the harsh climate and is a very popular herb to season soups and meat dishes.
TURMERIC usually comes as a bright yellow powder and is also a downcountry import. It is mainly used in small quantities to color soups and other dishes.
recipes: pg 33, 70
recipes: pg 31, 72
The women of Hunza cook with their hearts. Written recipes, measuring cups and scales dont exist in their simple kitchens. Keep this in mind when trying some of the recipes collected here. Play with your food and be creative. Cant find an ingredient? Substitute it with something similar. Your dough is too sticky? Add some more flour. Measurements and quantities specified in the recipes are merely a guide. Feel free to increase or decrease as you wish.
APPE TIZERS
2 3
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APPE TIZERS
INGREDIENTS for 4 sandwiches
250 gr burutz (see pg. 24) 2 spring onions 50 gr fresh coriander leaves 50 gr carrot greens or dill 50 gr mint leaves 100 ml of lassi (optional) salt for taste apricot oil 8 chappatis (see pg. 37)
TIP
Burutz is basically a fresh cream or cottage cheese. Feel free to substitute it with your favorite brand. Other herbs and spices could be added to the filling. The Hunzakutz are flexible about the way to prepare a dishoften it is just a question on what is available. Be creative!
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TIP
Hunza fare is generally not very spicy. Feel free to adapt recipes with chili peppers according to your taste. As a general rule: Leave the seeds for a hotter result, take them out for a milder taste.
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APPE TIZERS
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
150 gr apricot kernels 2 chappatis 1 tbsp apricot oil (optional) 1 tsp salt
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Almost identical to Daichuroom is Chamuriki, which is nothing more than mashed chappatis with oil. Any traditional edible oil, like apricot, almond or walnut oil or even melted butter can be used. Creating new variations by adding spices, salt, nuts or sugar is common in Hunza and depends on the occasion and on what is available. Chamuriki is usually taken with tea but can also be used in main courses by mixing it into soups or curries.
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APPE TIZERS
COMBING THE GRAIN
In the West we are not accustomed to cleaning out food grains such as rice or wheat to make sure there arent any little stones or other dirt mingled in. We expect our food to be free of such particles. In Hunza, as in other parts of the world where the food still comes fresh from the garden or the field, this combing of the grain represents a natural aspect of preparing food for cooking. Let it be mother, father, child or grandparentin Hunza you will always find some member of the family hunched over a flat, round basket, separating the good grains from the bad grains.
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BURUTZ
FRESH CHEESE FROM THE MOUNTAIN PASTURES
Burutz is a fresh cream or cottage cheese and one of the many examples of typical mountain dairy products. Shepherds who spend their summers up on the high pastures have a simple diet. It consists mostly of dairy products, such as milk, burutz, lassi, butter and kurutz, complimented with bread and tea. Apart from herding the animals, the shepherds spent their time producing these aliments which can only rarely be found for sale in the markets. However, the Hunzakutz are a hospitable people, always ready to share the little they have. When trekking in Hunza during the summer months you will most likely come across a shepherds hut or summer settlement. Most likely you will be invited in for a cup of tea and get a chance to sample one or more of these delicious fresh mountain products. There are two ways of making burutz. The process starts with making lassi (see pg. 73). The lassi is then simply filtered through cheesecloth and hung up overnight. If this process is too time consuming, it is also possible to get burutz by boiling the lassi for about 35 minutes on low heat. You will see the cheese curd separating from the water. Strain the water out and theres your fresh burutz! Burutz makes a delicious, refreshing spread for bread. Eat it plain or mix it with salt, pepper, spices or herbs. Another suggestion is to use it just like sour cream in soups or on baked potatoes.
SOUP S
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SOUP S
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
200 gr Kurutz, a local dried cheese (see box pg. 34) 750 ml water 30 ml cooking oil 1 tsp salt pinch of turmeric (for color) 2 chappatis fresh coriander for decoration
CHAPPATI NOODLES
With often only one hearth to cook on, there was a traditional direction to cook onepot-meals in Hunza.
A great way to use cold chappatis is to cut them in strips and add them to a soup as wide noodles. A recipe to make chappatis is described on page 37.
TIP
In the West you will not very likely find kurutz. There is no cheese equivalent to it. If you havent brought a piece with you (kurutz conserves very well), use a splash of vinegar to flavor the soup.
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SOUP S
CHAPPATI NUGGETS
Another version of quickly made noodles, are little dough nuggets, similar to German Sptzle. To make them, simply put some flour in a bowl, adding water in a sprinkling fashion while mixing the dough with your fingertips. Soon, a crumbly mixture will form and your chappati nuggets are ready to go!
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Similar to Tumuro Chai (pg. 72), this soup has medicinal properties against headaches and the seasonal colds and coughs of the harsh winters of the Karakoram mountains.
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TIP
If in season, you can substitute the dried apricots with fresh ones and skip part 1 of this recipe. If you dont find apricot kernels, use almonds. The taste will be almost the same.
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A girl in Chapursan Valley, Upper Hunza, tending the fire on a Kurutz-making day.
KURUTZ
A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE
The Mongolians make it; the Tibetans have known it for centuries; the Hunzakutz swear by it. Kurutz, as it is called in Hunza, is, Burutz aside, the only cheese found in traditional Hunza cooking. Whether or not it should be considered a cheese according to Western standards is a different question. Sour in taste and rock-hard in consistency, it is better to imagine it as a salty snack, something to to train your jaw muscles on than a cheese to spread on a sandwich. In Hunza it is mostly used to flavour soups and children like to chew it. The process for making Kurutz is long and labor intensive and once again we have to go back to the making of butter and lassi from milk (pg. 73). The lassi is then boiled for a whole day while a piece of last years kurutz is added providing the culture or enzymes that start the process of making curd. As the mixture boils down it eventually turns into a soft sour paste, which is then pressed and sun-dried, on the roofs of the pasture huts. The exact recipe of how to make kurutz is passed on from generation to generation and varies according to climate and location.
BREADS
2
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Burum Hanik has an important meaning in Hunza. It is more than just bread and butter. It symbolizes hospitality and is usually served at the beginning of an event regardless whether there will be more food or not. Traditionally Burum Hanik comes with the precious aged butter (see pg. 10).
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BREADS
INGREDIENTS for one Shuro Bread
250 gr of white flour 2 eggs (optional) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 100 ml milk
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Even though Qista is described here using self-rising flour it is actually a yeast bread. Interestingly, fresh or dried yeast as we know today, was not available in Hunza until just recently. Instead, the Hunzakut kept the dough near the fire in a warm place for a long time until natural fermentation produced the desired amount of yeast.
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BREADS
INGREDIENTS for 6-8 pancakes
200 gr sifted white flour 250ml water 30 ml (2 tbsp) oil 1 egg (optional)
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Maltashtze Giyaling is the traditional dish prepared when a daughter visits her parents home after her marriage. It is taken with Chai (tea).
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A family in Gojal, Upper Hunza, sitting around the bukhari, the traditional stove on which everything from bread to tea is prepared.
MAIN COURSES
BREAD
THE STAPLE FOOD OF THE HUNZAKUTZ
In Hunza, as in most parts of Pakistan, bread replaces the ubiquitous rice as the staple food. This is easily explained by the fact that rice cannot be grown in Hunzas high altitude climate. Wheat is the cereal of choice, but other grains like buckwheat and barley are also grown. Surprisingly, the resourceful Hunzakut do not limit their idea of bread to the basic chappati, but an array of treasured original and indigenous bread recipes. Unfortunately, this Cookbook doesnt include all of them. Hunzas equivalent to todays common chappati, which is more of a culinary import from the south, is a thin wheat bread, the Khamali. Compared to a chappati, it is much larger in diameter, the reason of which was a practical one: In the old days and even now, wood is a very precious commodity and conservation is essential. By baking a large bread you can take advantage of the heat on the rather large cooking plate of a traditional Hunza stove. Arzok is a festive bread made with flour, eggs and milk and fried in butter. It stays fresh very long and is still delicious when eaten cold, dipped in a hot cup of Chai. Last, but not least, there is Phitti, probably the most famous of all Hunza breads and a common breakfast fare. The thick, nutritious bread with a crusty outside and a soft interior is also rather time-consuming to prepare. Traditionally, the dough was put into a sealed metal container and after all the cooking had been done at night, the phitti was tucked into the ashes/embers of the hearth, and would bake overnight.
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MAIN COURSES
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
1 kg fresh pumpkin 2 small onions, chopped 250 ml water 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 tbsp turmeric powder 1 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp salt 30ml cooking oil
TIP
Like most Hunza dishes Hosarye Hoi is taken with chappatis. If chappatis are too much work, get some Naan from any Indian restaurant or simply serve it with steamed white rice.
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MAIN COURSES
SHHIKER...WHAT?!
Shhikerkutz, known as Methi to the rest of Pakistan is a leaf vegetable which probably has no comparable counterpart in the West. Standing in the field it looks similar to alfalfa with small leaves, growing close to the ground. With no fresh vegetables available in winter, freshly harvested methi is often spread out on the roofs and sun-dried for later use. Due to its very special, pungent flavor it is hard to recommend a suitable substitution. Check in an Indian provision store and you might find some dried methi.
(see picture on the right)
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MAIN COURSES
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
600 gr fresh leaf spinach 30 ml cooking oil 1 medium onion 1 tsp salt 1 tsp chili powder 250 ml water for the noodles: 250 gr flour 100 ml water
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
The origin of this dish was, once again, the need to conserve fuel-wood. By cooking the chappatis together with the spinach (which can be substituted with any green leafy vegetable) instead of one after the other, the Hunzakutz could maximize the use of their stove while saving precious fire wood.
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MAIN COURSES
INGREDIENTS for 2 pieces
for the dough: 300 gr flour 1/2 tsp salt 150 ml water for the filling: 2 green chili peppers, chopped 2 spring onions 1 - 2 onions, chopped 1 tomato, chopped 3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped 1 tsp salt 200 gr minced meat
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MAIN COURSES
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
1 litre water 250 gr wheat flour, sifted salt to taste
The berries are first squeezed through a cloth and the resulting juice is then cooked for hours on a low flame. When the natural fruit sugar starts to caramelize, the liquid turns dark and eventually cooks down to the desired\ syrupy consistency. Due to the long time it takes to prepare Mulberry Jam and the amount of precious fire wood needed, this delicious, sweet syrup is prepared only sporadically.
TIP
If you cant find Mulberry Jam, which is more like a thick syrup in consistency, try using sugar cane syrup or honey instead.
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MAIN COURSES
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
400 gr whole wheat, roughly ground 250 gr unsalted butter 2 liters water 1 tsp salt
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Sharbat is a very traditional dish often served at weddings and often prepared by men.
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BRUISED WHEAT
Unless you live close to a farm, it will be difficult to recreate this dish, as it requires freshly harvested grain. To bruise the wheat, the soft grains (alternatively, they could be soaked) need to be pounded to release the husks and to soften it a bit more. This helps to absorb the broth more easily, and needs less cooking time. The best way to pound the wheat without crushing it is with a smooth rock in a stone mortar.
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MALTASH
MORE THAN JUST A PIECE OF BUTTER
Butter (or Maltash) in Hunza goes back a long time. Prepared in the traditional way from fresh milk, which should be scalded before churning it, maltash is still a favorite amongst the Hunzakutz. Even the arrival and availability of modern factory-made butter could not yet eliminate the labour-intensive tradition of making butter. This is mostly due to the butters high value and the important place it has in society. Maltash is presented as a gift at the birth of a son, at weddings and funerals. It is used to bless the foundation of a new house an again later, once the house is completed. Maltash also serves as a thank you token for a favour. In old times, butter was a means of money and is still used for taxes today. Hunza families who have had a new son still have to send a kilo of butter to the annual channel clearing to feed the workmen. The interesting thing about the Hunza butter (and you might have an idea if youve tasted it before) is, that the older the butter, the more valuable it is. Most of the freshly produced butter is not consumed right away, but carefully wrapped in birch bark and then buried in a hole in the ground. There, it might stay and age for decades, even a hundred years, before the head of the family decides: It is time to dig out the good old butter!
DES SERTS
DES SERTS
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
200 gr apricot kernels (or almonds) 200 gr dried mulberries (or sultanas) 200 gr walnuts 2 tbsp water
TIP
In Hunza, Sultan Qoq is a dessert, but with all the nutritious ingredients it makes a great energy bar. Try variations with other kinds of dried fruits (like raisins, dried apricots or prunes). If the pure fruit is not sweet enough, you can add some brown sugar.
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MOUNTAIN WISDOM
There is a very tasty variation on Diram Phitti, called Diram Shuro. It uses the freshly cooked Diram patties while they are still warm. Those are then crushed or mashed, fried in apricot oil and finally mixed into a bowl with butter or apricot oil. See picture on the right.
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DIRAM PHITTI
THE SACREDLY SWEET BREAD
If diram comes from the sacred seed of life according to Hunzas oral history, phitti without a doubt reveals that this desert is, yet, another version of the Hunza staple food: bread. But diram phitti is a very special kind of bread. More a sweet, moist cake than a crusty bread, diram phitti was always the regions sweet dish par excellence and continues to be a special festive treat. What makes this dish so special is that it is sweet without containing any sugar (as mentioned before, sugar is a relatively new import and is therefore not found in any of the traditional dishes). To obtain this natural sweetness, the Hunzakutz use a special technique. Instead of drying and then grinding the freshly harvested wheat, the grains are kept moist. Only when the grains start to germinate and ferment slightly, they are being ground into flour. This special fermented flour is then mixed with regular flour and used to bake diram phitti. It might indeed be difficult to make this dessert in the West, even though the preparation itself is fairly simple. However, if you come to Hunza, make sure you get a chance to sample this traditional sweet dish. Diram phitti should always be eaten with a certain feeling of veneration, knowing the story behind it (see pg 7) and the time and difficulty it takes to prepare this sacred dish.
DRINKS
DRINKS
INGREDIENTS for 4 persons
200 gr dried apricots 1 litre water or less, depending on desired thickness
TIP
You can also use fresh apricots, or even a mix of fresh and dried ones.
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DRINKS
INGREDIENTS for 2-3 cups
for Tumuro Chai: 4 tsp tumuro (dried wild thyme) 500 ml water for Balingi Chai: 8 walnuts, shelled 4 tsp black tea 500 ml water milk if desired
DILTAR
A REFRESHING YOGURT DRINK MADE IN A TRADITIONAL MANNER
People call it buttermilk, Lassi or simply a yogurt drink. Nowadays, the simplest way to make Diltar is to mix yogurt with water (about 1:1) and then blend at high speed for a few minutes in a mixer. You can add salt, sugar or fruits like bananas or mangos for some extra taste. Traditionally, there are two methods of preparing lassi without a blender. One method is called taring, which uses the hardened skin of an entire goat or a sheep as a container (see picture). Once filled with fresh milk the skin is shaken or rolled back and forth on the ground for a long time until butter forms. The watery milk or butter milk left at the end is the pure and original diltar. The second method uses a tall narrow wooden cylinder and a long, thick pole called sagu and pader. Just like churning butter, the stick is moved up and down in the box, a process which looks much easier than it actually is. Finally, the mix of air and foam turns the milk into Diltar. Once youve tasted fresh, cold Diltar on a hot summer day, you will know that theres no better way to quench your thirst.
MOUNTAIN WISDOM
Tumuro or Wild Thyme is collected in the high mountains surrounding Hunza. The herb is especially valued for its medicinal properties that alleviate headaches, calm nerves and soothe sore throats.
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INDEX A
Aged Butter Maltash . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10/62 Apricot kernels: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Chappati Crumble Daichuroom . . . . . .20 Chappati with Apricot Kernel Paste Haneetze Berikutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Healthy FruitnNuts Bar Sultan Qoq .64 Apricot oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Apricots: Apricot Juice Chhamus . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Apricot Soup Haneetze Doudo . . . . . . .32 Dried apricots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
INDEX C
Chai: Balingi Chai Walnut Tea . . . . . . . . . . .72 Tumuro Chai Wild Thyme Tea . . . . . . .72 Chappati: Burum Hanik Chappati with Aged Butter . . . . . . . .36 Chamuriki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Chappati Crumble Daichuroom . . . . . .20 Chappati Noodles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Chappati Nuggets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Qista Hunza Chappati . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Chapsae Doudo Chunky Meat Soup . . . . .26 Chap-Shuro Hunza Meat Cakes . . . . . . . .54 Cheese: Dried Cheese Soup Kurutzhe Doudo . .28 Dried Yak Cheese Kurutz . . . . . . . . . .34 Fresh Cheese Burutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Fresh Cheese Chappati Burutz Berikutz 16 Chhamus Apricot Juice . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Diram Phitti Sweet Bread Cakes . . . .66/68 Diram Shuro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Dried apricots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Dried Cheese Soup Kurutzhe Doudo . . . .28 Dried Yak Cheese Kurutz . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Hosarye Hoi Hearty Pumpkin Stew . . . . .48 Humane Mina Linseed Paste . . . . . . . . . .22 Hunza Chappati Qista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Hunza Meat Cakes Chap-Shuro . . . . . . . .54 Hunza Pancakes Maltashtze Giyaling . . .42 Mull Flour Porridge with Mulberry Jam .56
P
Pancakes: Barove Giyaling Buckwheat Pancakes .40 Maltashtze Giyaling Hunza Pancakes .42 Pasta, Hunza Spinach Hoilo Garma . . . . .52 Phitti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Porridge: Mull Flour Porridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Sharbat Wheat Porridge . . . . . . . . . . .58 Potatoes: Girgir Aloo Lentils and Potatoes . . . . .46 Shhikerkutze Hoi Potatoes and Greens 50 Pumpkin Stew Hosarye Hoi . . . . . . . . . . .48
Shuro Festive White Bread . . . . . . . . . . .38 Spinach Pasta, Hunza Hoilo Garma . . . . .52 Sultan Qoq Healthy FruitnNuts Bar . . . .64 Suppra Leg of Lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Sweet Bread Cakes Diram Phitti . . . .66/68
F
Festive White Bread Shuro . . . . . . . . . . .38 Flour Porridge with Mulberry Jam Mull .56 Fresh Cheese Burutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Fresh Cheese Chappati Burutz Berikutz .16 FruitnNuts Bar Sultan Qoq . . . . . . . . . .64
K
Khanda Mulberry Jam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Kurutz Dried Yak Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Kurutzhe Doudo Dried Cheese Soup . . . .28
T
Thyme Soup Tumurotze Doudo . . . . . . . .30 Thyme Tea Tumuro Chai . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Tomato Dip Baloganze Pitchu . . . . . . . . .14 Tumuro Thyme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Turmeric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
B
Baloganze Pitchu Tomato Dip . . . . . . . . .14 Burutz Berikutz Fresh Cheese Chappati .16 Burutz Fresh Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Burum Hanik Chappati with Aged Butter .36 Butter, aged Maltash . . . . . . . . . . . . .10/62 Bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Barove Giyaling Buckwheat Pancakes . . .40 Buckwheat Pancakes Barove Giyaling . . .40 Balingi Chai Walnut Tea . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Bruised Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
L
Lamb, Leg of Suppra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Lassi Diltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Lentils and Potatoes Girgir Aloo . . . . . . .46 Linseed Paste Humane Mina . . . . . . . . . .22
G
Girgir Aloo Lentils and Potatoes . . . . . . .46 Grain, Combing the... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
W
Walnuts: Balingi Chai Walnut Tea . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Sultan Qoq Healthy FruitnNuts Bar . .64 Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Wheat Porridge Sharbat . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Wheat, bruised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
H
Haneetze Berikutz Chappati with Apricot Kernel Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Haneetze Doudo Apricot Soup . . . . . . . . .32 Harisa Bruised Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Hoilo Garma Hunza Spinach Pasta . . . . .52
M
Maltash Aged Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10/62 Maltashtze Giyaling Hunza Pancakes . . .42 Mulberries: Khanda Mulberry Jam . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Sultan Qoq Healthy FruitnNuts Bar . .64
D
Daichuroom Chappati Crumble . . . . . . . .20 Diltar Lassi or Yogurt Drink . . . . . . . . . .73
Q S
Sharbat Wheat Porridge . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Shhikerkutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Shhikerkutze Hoi Potatoes and Greens . .50
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t is essential to acknowledge the generosity of Matthieu Paley, who contributed the extraordinary photographs in this book. Without his help, this book simply would not exist. Outstanding contributions came from Dr. Julie Flowerday, the Burushaski Scholar who wrote the anthropological introduction; the Baltit Inn Management, who lent their kitchen for the feat and its Manager, Ejaaz Karim; the bazaar shopkeepers whose utensils enhanced the striking photographs in this book; the hotel employees and the Ismaili authorities. Last but not least, there is the Aga Khan Cultural Services-Pakistan, who sponsored the printing of this book and, especially, Mr. Salman Beg, who trusted
two foreign women, a graphic designer and a development lawyer, to carry out this project proving that trust works. Marta Luchsinger
hank You, once again, to absolutely everybody who has invested their time, knowledge, talent, thought and spirit to make this cookbook happen. Thanks especially to my brother Thilo. Mareile Obersteiner
Project Coordination Marta Luchsinger Mareile Obersteiner Recipes Karimabad Womens Organisations Layout & Design Mareile Obersteiner Photography Matthieu Paley Thilo Obersteiner Text Mareile Obersteiner Editing Marta Luchsinger Printing Colorline Sponsorship Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP)
As promised, all profit made through the sale of this book will go towards the women of Hunza.
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All profit made from the sale of this book will go towards the women of Hunza.
The women decided to put the money into medical supplies and an ambulance for Karimabad.