The season of covering yourself with a blanket and hibernating in front of the heater is upon us. People adopt different methods to keep themselves warm in order to avoid illnesses like flu, pneumonia, cough etc. One method is to eat foods which keep your inner organs warm. People choose coffee and soup to keep themselves heated up but there are remedies present in our traditions and culture, which are suitable to keep the cold away. Our heritage introduces cuisines which are created to keep people protected from the cold.
Originated from Lahore, Katlama is the one of the best dishes for winter. This desi pizza is made from white flour, gram flour and herbs and spices. A topping of red chilli paste is applied on it and then it is deep fried. The minimum size of a katlama is 2 1/2 feet in diameter and could weigh 1 1/2 kg so it’s a dish which people can eat as much they want. It is mostly available in areas near Data Ganj Baksh and Dharampura. To make it more delicious sometimes meat is stuffed into it. This pizza like dish contains mouth-watering taste. The spicy taste would make people want more.
It is a tradition to eat this food with dry fruits such as peanuts. In old times, Rewari was made in festivals of Sankranti and Pongal, which were celebrated during the harvesting period in Southern India. It is a form of Gajak. Rewari is created from seasame seeds and jiggery. It is usually circular in shape and is of different sizes. The sweet taste and the crunch present in Rewari is a unique combination. People need strong teeth to eat this food.
One of the favorite dishes of our Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), Harissa is made up of dried wheat kernels and meat which is cooked together until a pudding like texture is achieved. It is a dish from which another winter dish Haleem originated. Usually this dish is made during the month of Ramazan but it is really good at keeping the body warm. Its recipe is also mentioned in the 10th century cookbook Kitab Al Tabikh written by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq. Different regions prepare this dish using different methods.
The next dish is a home remedy for diseases such as the common cold, rhinorrehea and fever. Nihari consists of beef or lamb along with bone marrow. This dish is cooked slowly. The longer it is cooked, the tastier it becomes. Nihari is considered to be the national dish of Pakistan. It is believed that Nihari was first created in the royal kitchens of Awadh (modern day Uttar Pardesh), in the 18th century during the last days of the Mughal Empire.
Contributed by: Team Kluchit.
