# Pakistani cuisine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991 "2016-08-16T14:47:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/21 "2016-08-18T13:54:02Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You’re not going to see a lot of beef dishes in North Indian cuisine… Nihari was invented in either Delhi or Lucknow. You can find it and Haleem on menus in North Indian restaurants. India is still home to a very large population of Muslims and most of them live in the north part of the country. (Oh, it looks like this was already said… never mind me 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/22 "2016-08-18T13:57:41Z")
Also, I’ve been to Karachi a few times (and Lahore once) and I don’t remember anything substantially different from the Punjabi cuisine mentioned here. Not a lot of seafood - except for, interestingly, Chinese restaurants (with Indian spices). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/23 "2016-08-18T15:03:31Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Nihari was invented in either Delhi or Lucknow. Sure, but it’s not an exclusively beef dish, it can be made with lamb. And yes, non-Hindu communities don’t have the same restriction, but nevertheless, within Indian cuisine, beef is not a common meat. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/24 "2016-08-18T15:18:01Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Sure, but it’s not an exclusively beef dish, it can be made with lamb. And yes, non-Hindu communities don’t have the same restriction, but nevertheless, within Indian cuisine, beef is not a common meat. It is not rare to find beef dishes in North India, especially in areas with high numbers of Muslims (as alluded to before, India has 172 million Muslims). ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/25 "2016-08-18T15:22:34Z")
For example: [http://www.ibtimes.com/wheres-beef-india-believe-it-or-not-1258469](http://www.ibtimes.com/wheres-beef-india-believe-it-or-not-1258469) > [@](#): > > Despite its image for venerating the cow as a sacred beast and regarding the eating of beef as “taboo,” tens of millions of people in India do indeed eat beef on a regular basis. > [@](#): > > Over the past four years, beef exports have surged by more than 44 percent, while domestic consumption has climbed by a comparable amount, according to Times of India. > > Meat produced by registered slaughterhouses jumped from 557,000 tonnes in 2008 to 805,000 tonnes in 2011. Income from bovine exports are expected to reach 18 billion rupees ($328 million) this year. > > In 2012, in fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, India became the world’s No. 1 beef exporter, beating out such perennial beef powerhouses Australia and New Zealand. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/26 "2016-08-18T20:17:08Z")
Most of the “beef” India exports is water buffalo, which your link says but you neglected to mention. That’s notreally beef… And like i said, people _do_ eat it, but it isn’t _common_. Just ask McDonalds India… There are [many Indian states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_slaughter_in_India#/media/File:Status_of_cow_slaughter_in_India.png) (including Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana -all in the North) where cattle slaughter is totally banned, with fines and jailtimes for offenders. [Or worse just for being suspected of it.](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/world/asia/india-mob-kills-muslim-man-cow-slaughter.html?_r=0). and that was a Muslim. In fact, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the harshest anti-cattle-slaughter laws are in the states bordering Pakistan, not further South. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/27 "2016-08-18T20:22:16Z")
Buffalo meat is generally considered beef-y (they are usually in the same area of the meat section of the supermarket). In addition, killing of bulls and steers isn’t banned in North Central India (where Lucknow is). Regardless, it doesn’t matter one whit whether or not cow beef or buffalo meat (or lamb or goat, which is used just as much if not more than beef in Pakistan) is used in judging when something becomes an entirely different cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/28 "2016-08-18T21:40:43Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Buffalo meat is generally considered beef-y (they are usually in the same area of the meat section of the supermarket). That’s also where my supermarket puts the ostrich. Doesn’t make ostriches beef. > [@](#): > > In addition, killing of bulls and steers isn’t banned in North Central India (where Lucknow is). [But the sale of beef is.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_slaughter_in_India#Uttar_Pradesh) Eh, unless you are all after 15yo bullock… ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/29 "2016-08-18T22:45:35Z")
Still waiting for a trustworthy damn haleem recipe… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/30 "2016-08-18T23:25:38Z")
If the place you’re talking about is East West in Arlington, get the chicken karahi. That’s what my Pakistani friend who went to high school around there recommends. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/31 "2016-08-18T23:26:20Z")
> [@nani](#): > > If the place you’re talking about is East West in Arlington, get the chicken karahi. That’s what my Pakistani friend who went to high school around there recommends. Yep, that’s the place. We’ll try that next. What does he say about the haleem and nihari? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/32 "2016-08-18T23:32:15Z")
I don’t know much about Pakistani cuisine except that the shrimp can sometimes be [a little stringy.](https://youtu.be/tUPH5OhXC1A?t=4m10s) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/33 "2016-08-19T03:06:55Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Still waiting for a trustworthy damn haleem recipe… 😉 Well it kind of takes a while (whether it be beef, lamb, or chicken haleem), so it may be better just to go and buy it. I remember whenever my mom made it that it was an all afternoon activity with constant stirring. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/34 "2016-08-19T05:57:23Z")
Yeah, you’re looking at several hours of stirring. Also, you need at least a stick blender. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/35 "2016-08-19T06:44:20Z")
There’s an economist/food blogger named Tyler Cowen who has various rules about how to find the best restaurant with a given cuisine for good price/quality (in the U.S., although the arguments may apply elsewhere as well). Among his rules are that you can generally find Pakistani restaurants that are better deals than Indian restaurants. Similarly, you can generally find Vietnamese restaurants that are better deals than Thai restaurants. All this is true despite Pakistani and Indian food being reasonably similar and Vietnamese and Thai food being reasonably similar. This article is a very good explanation of Cowen’s reasoning: > **[Six Rules for Dining Out](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/six-rules-for-dining-out/308929/)** > > How a frugal economist finds the perfect lunch ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/36 "2016-08-19T07:41:23Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Among his rules are that you can generally find Pakistani restaurants that are better deals than Indian restaurants I agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/37 "2016-08-19T11:53:47Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > There’s an economist/food blogger named Tyler Cowen who has various rules about how to find the best restaurant with a given cuisine for good price/quality (in the U.S., although the arguments may apply elsewhere as well). Among his rules are that you can generally find Pakistani restaurants that are better deals than Indian restaurants. Similarly, you can generally find Vietnamese restaurants that are better deals than Thai restaurants. All this is true despite Pakistani and Indian food being reasonably similar and Vietnamese and Thai food being reasonably similar. This article is a very good explanation of Cowen’s reasoning: > > [Six Rules for Dining Out - The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/six-rules-for-dining-out/308929/) I find this generally true for Vietnamese or Asian Fusion vs. Thai and Japanese. Our best sushi and Thai comes from a Vietnamese/Chinese/Thai/Sushi restaurant. But things are a little different here on my weird island. We have a lot of restaurants, but the vast majority of them are not of the kind of quality that would befit their prices, even the very economical places. Chinese around here is usually low quality except for one Cantonese place with a limited menu. Thai places are also low quality. Our best deals for quality/price are old side street restaurants. Best places for quality are waaayyy overpriced. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/38 "2016-08-19T13:11:05Z")
In the article that I linked to, Cowen says something like that. You’ll often find the best restaurants for price/quality in the side streets as opposed to in the biggest streets. You’ll often find that the best restaurants for price/quality are in odd places like motels, strip malls, food trucks, or even gas stations. The best time for certain restaurants will often be in the first few months after they open and haven’t yet had a chance to get known as a first-rate restaurant and thus aren’t overcrowded. The hip places where the staff and customers are well dressed are often not good deals for price/quality. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/39 "2016-08-19T14:01:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Most of the “beef” India exports is water buffalo, which your link says but you neglected to mention. A) that’s not what the article said. It said it didn’t know how much of the beef was cattle vs. water buffalo. Obviously there is some concern for beef production if (as stated in the same article) there are Hindu nationalists who are alarmed. B) Pakistan uses quite a bit of water buffalo beef itself (and yes, they call it beef there as well): [http://www.dawn.com/news/968331/buffalo-a-milk-and-meat-enterprise](http://www.dawn.com/news/968331/buffalo-a-milk-and-meat-enterprise) > [@](#): > > Meat Pakistan is the second top producer of buffalo meat in the world after India and has the highest percentage (19 per cent) of the slaughtered stock verses total buffalo stock. Buffaloes contribute over 50 per cent to local beef production. In addition, even if Pakistan used only cattle beef and India used only water buffalo beef, that wouldn’t substantially change the cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991/40 "2016-08-19T14:42:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I agree with this. I can see that. But the bit about Vietnamese and Thai food being reasonably similar? I can’t see going to a Vietnamese restaurant when I’m in the mood for Thai or vice versa. Indian and Pakistani, that’s close enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-cuisine/762991.md?page=3)