Indian Cuisine is readily available all over Britain. Almost
every town and city in the country will be represented by an Indian Restaurant
and Indian food. Alongside Italian dining, Indian food overshadows the cuisine
of almost every culture outside of the UK in this country. The large population
of Indian people who live in Britain is one of the main contributing factors as
well as the use of flavours so foreign to tastes native to England. This makes
it all the more surprising that Pakistani cuisine does not share the same
coverage in the UK despite their similarities in flavour to Indian Cuisine and
the high volume of Pakistani people living in the UK.
However, there is a large Pakistani representation in many
Indian Restaurant menus. With similar usage of spices and flavours; these
dishes fit seamlessly within the Indian Cuisine. Dishes from the two countries
are often enjoyed simultaneously. The Pakistani provinces of Sindh and in
particular Punjab share many similarities in taste to their Indian
counterparts. Punjabi food is commonly found within the confines of an Indian
Restaurant.
With similar temperatures and weather conditions in the two
countries; India and Pakistan are able to harvest similar foodstuffs and
spices. Mustard, black pepper, cardamom and turmeric are commonplace in the two
countries, heavily influencing the flavours of the delicacies.
Masala is used very liberally throughout the cuisine of both
India and Pakistan. It allows for a wide variety of flavours to be produced
within their dishes. The masala can flavour rice and whole wheat depending upon
the spices used.
Many of the curry dishes that are popular in Indian
Restaurants have their histories deeply entwined with that of Pakistan. Rogan
Josh, Biryani and Butter Chicken have long all been popular dishes in Pakistan.
Restaurants in Pakistan use a great deal of decadent ingredients such as
butter, ghee and cream to create incredibly rich dishes.
Unleavened breads such as Naan and Roti are just as popular
in Pakistan as they are India.
