Pakistani food could be TNBT, thanks to our hunger for new, different food, the rise in popularity of Pakistani takeaways in America and also due to passionate advocates like PukkaPaki (called ‘Pukka Pakistani’ on some media outlets) and Rahila Hussain and their increasing media profiles.
Indian is part of the mainstream British diet, and similar to Pakistani – sometimes Pakistani food and Indian food is all lumped together. However, as our tastes become more adventurous and ‘exotic’ (e.g. Mexican) becomes mainstream, people are more open to trying something a bit different.
PukkaPaki‘s real name is Sumayya, and according her website, she is a “freelance food writer and cookery teacher specialising in Pakistani cuisine and culture”. She’s appeared on Madhur Jaffrey’s TV programme Curry Nation and written for/been featured in magazines like delicious and Good Housekeeping, as well as Pakistani titles like Hello! Pakistan. She’s currently writing her “memoir style Pakistani cookbook”.
Rahila Hussain (a teacher from Huddersfield) won ITV’s Food Glorious Food, so her Fragrant White Chicken Korma (inspired by a family recipe) was sold as a ready meal in M&S earlier this year. She’s also writing a book on Pakistani cooking, so expect some media attention when it comes out.
Over in America, where food trends often start, Pakistani is the fastest-growing takeaway cuisine, according to an analysis of GrubHub’s (online takeaway ordering service) database of 20,000+ restaurants in more than 500 US cities.
Here’s what Food Navigator-USA says:
Lots to discover in terms of what the main dishes are, how they differ from similar Indian ones, key ingredients/flavours, what street food is big in Pakistan, etc. Fun!
And here’s the full list of up and coming cuisines:
