Next Stop: Pakistan

Pakistani cuisine is generally similar to that of North India but while Indian cuisine is balanced between meat and vegetarian cuisines, meat plays a much more dominant role in Pakistani food. Due to its proximity with Central and West Asia, Pakistani food also tends to be modified by significant influences from these regions. It also varies greatly from region to region within Pakistan itself. The most popular cuisine in almost all areas of Pakistan is Moghul food. This is mostly barbequed food with the most popular dishes including Chicken Tikka, Kebobs, Chops, etc. The spices used can vary.

Curries, with or without meat, combined with vegetables such as bitter gourd, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, potatoes, rutabaga, saag, spinach etc. are the most common and often cooked for every-day eating. Various kinds of lentils called dal also make up an important part of the Pakistani dishes. Nevertheless, lentils have traditionally been considered as an inexpensive food source and hotel/restaurants may only offer a limited variety of these dishes. Lentil dishes are also typically not served when guests are invited at home or during special occasions. The one main exception is haleem which contains a variety of lentils along with meat. A batch of haleem will typically take over five hours to cook. This dish is known to have originated in Agra, where the Taj Mahal stands today.

A favourite Pakistani curry is karahi, either mutton or chicken cooked in a dry sauce. Lahori karahi incorporates garlic, onions, spices and vinegar. Peshawari karahi is a simple dish made with just meat, salt, tomatoes and coriander. Among well known dishes are chicken tikka, kofta, mutton korma, chicken korma, nihari, siri paya, shab degh and chakna. Dishes made with rice include pullao and biryani. Sajji is a Baluchi dish from Western Pakistan, made of lamb stuffed with rice, that has also become popular all over the country.

All of the main dishes (except those made with rice) are eaten alongside bread. To eat, a small fragment of bread is torn off with the right hand and used to scoop and hold small portions of the main dish. Pickles made out of mangoes, carrots, lemon etc. are also commonly used to further spice up the food.

Information from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Pakistan