Hazara cuisine or Hazaragi cuisine ( haz, غذای آزارگی) refers to the food and cuisine of the

Hazara people The Hazaras ( fa, , Həzārə; haz, , Āzərə) are an ethnic group and the principal component of the population of Afghanistan, native to, and primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan and generally scatt ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and western

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

(

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

province). The food of the Hazara people is strongly influenced by

Central Asian Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former S ...

, South Asian and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

cuisines and shares similarities with neighboring regional cuisines in Afghanistan and Central Asia. However, there are certain dishes, culinary methods and styles of cooking that are unique to the Hazara people. The Hazara people have a hospitable dining etiquette. In Hazaragi culture, it is customary to prepare special food for guests, and to honor them with the best seats during meal times. Most Hazaras eat food with their hands, as opposed to using cutlery and dining utensils such as forks, knives, or spoons. The diet of the Hazara people is largely based on the intake of high-protein foods such as meats and dairy products. They use large amounts of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

in their cooking. A typical Hazara meal/dining course normally consists of cooking one type of food or dish, rather than a wide selection. However, in large formal gatherings or during the presence of guests, a variety of foods may be cooked in the household.Hazaras
at Everyculture.com Hazara cuisine is largely centred on breads. There are three main types of breads consumed by Hazara people:Central Asian Cultural Intelligence for Military Operations: Hazara in Afghanistan
p. 21 * ''Tawa'' bread, baked on hot plates * ''

Tandoor bread Tandoor bread refers to a bread baked in a clay oven called a ''tandoor''. History Cooking food in a tandoor oven has been done for about five millennia. Remains of a clay oven with indication of cooked food have been excavated in the Indus R ...

'', which is baked on a sunken oven known as the "

tandoor A tandoor ( or ) is a large urn-shaped oven, usually made of clay, originating from the Indian Subcontinent. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and naan, as well as to roast meat. The tandoo ...

" * ''Nan-buta'' bread, a thick, brick-sized bread.

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

is less frequent in rural Hazara cuisine due to its expense. Tea is a popular beverage among the Hazara people. Fruits and vegetables are only consumed when in season.

Dishes

Popular Hazaragi dishes include: *

Bolani Bolani (Dari: بولانی), also called Periki (Pashto: پارکی) is a stuffed flat-bread from Afghanistan, fried with a filling. It has a thin crust and can be stuffed with a variety of ingredients, such as potatoes or leeks but also graced ...

or ''Pirki'' basically like paratha, made of boiled potatoes, spring onions or gandana (a vegetable in between a leek and a

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus '' Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, c ...

spring onion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chi ...

), garlic, salt and black pepper. * Shir Rogho - Hot milk tea with butter added. * Aash - Traditional Hazaragi Aash is plain noodles with Kashk/Ayran (yogurt), fresh mint and salt. Also in Hazarajat, a powder called "Pudina" (a plant, closely related to mint that grows only in Bamyan) is added on top. * Dalda, a dish made of boiled crushed wheat served with melted desi ghee or butter, often with brown fried onions. * Qurti * Ogra * Mantu, a type of traditional Hazara dumpling with meat filling * Ashak, a type of traditional Hazara dumpling (commonly) with a garlic chive filling. * Naan Butta * Changali or Malida, basically a dessert but mostly served with black or green tea for breakfast. * Shola * Halwa e Samanak, also called Halwa e Sia (Sia meaning black) or Surkh, is a mixture of flour, germinated wheat and water which is fried in oil and then simmered for four hours to harden. It tastes sweet even though no sugar is added. * Aw joshak * Qabardagh (also called Surk Kada in some regions) is meat, preferably ribs, that is fried with garlic and salt and later steamed. * Pai'cha ia is a wintertime speciality of boiled cow or sheep parts, which might include the head or/and feet. Onion, garlic, salt, oil and wheat berries are added, sometimes lentils or other legumes are also added. It is put to simmer for hours on low heat. This is very rich in gelatin and minerals. * Sheer Birinj (sheer = milk), (birinj = rice)

References

Afghan cuisine Pakistani cuisine South Asian cuisine Cuisine by ethnicity {{Afghanistan-stub

Dishes

See also

References