ISLAMABAD: In the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi, restaurant and food stall owners are seen making special arrangements around midnight before crowds of people throng the famous Kartarpura food street to fulfill themselves with traditional Pakistani delicacies to get going through a day of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
In the 19th century, the Kartarpura Street was part of Rawalpindi’s Sikh neighborhood and the city’s main commercial area, but over the past few decades it has developed into a food street and become famous for treats such as tender beef or mutton meat with bone marrow, known as nihari, and siri paye, a traditional breakfast dish of cow or goat head and trotters cooked overnight.
Deserts like kheer, kulfi, lassi and refreshing pomegranate and plum drinks attract crowds of food enthusiasts from midnight till dawn during the whole month.
“This is my first experience here. I had heard a lot about Kartarpura, heard from a lot of people that sehri [pre-dawn Ramadan meal] there is quite special and the breakfast is unique,” said Usman Ahmed, a visitor.
“So, this is my first time here and my experience has been excellent because there is a lot of variety here, you get different food on different shops with different tastes.”
Many of the food stall owners and vendors in the busy street are not residents of the city, but they come every year from far-flung areas to set up their stalls due to the increased footfall in Ramadan.
Some of these stalls are even set up by established food businesses elsewhere in the country.
“Most people come here because [this] food street is famous and people from Gujranwala, Lahore and other far-flung areas come here to set up food stalls in Ramadan,” said Muhammad Hamza Bhatti, a food vendor.
“People know that all sorts of food is available here, that’s why you see the crowds here.”
Few customers, however, complain of the increase in prices which has dampened their spirits this Ramadan.
Pakistan, a nation of over 241 million people, is currently reeling from the impact of inflation that hit a historic high of 38 percent in May last year, but eased to 23.1 percent in February this year, still on the higher side mainly due to the high costs of energy and food.
“This year, there is no rush [here]. These are the people who are on TikTok, making videos and nothing else. Otherwise, there is no rush only due to inflation,” said Muhammad Adnan, another customer.
“Inflation has increased to a level you cannot imagine. A bowl that used to cost Rs400 ($1.43) is selling for Rs1,600 ($5.74) to Rs1,800 ($6.45). A single person’s bill is no less than Rs2,000 ($7.17).”
with inputs from AFP
