Muhammad Usman Amin

PESHAWAR: In cities like London, tea is an art of high society; in Rome, espresso punctuates the day; in Istanbul, &ccedil;ay fuels conversation. But in Peshawar, the bustling heart of Pakistan&rsquo;s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a unique hot beverage, kahwa, defines the rhythm of daily life. More than a drink, kahwa is a social lubricant, a seal of a deal, and the first gesture of hospitality, a tradition carried along the Silk Road from East Asia centuries ago. It has survived the rise and fall of empires, remaining central to the city&rsquo;s culture and commerce. The historic Qissa Khwani Bazaar, or &ldquo;Street of Storytellers,&rdquo; is where kahwa culture thrives. Here, merchants, storytellers, and travelers once gathered, and where Fazal Karim, a local Kahwa shop owner, traces the practice back generations. &ldquo;Caravans used to come from Afghanistan back in the day&hellip; the city gates would be closed at night. To wait for them to open in the morning, people would tell stories&hellip; and during these stories, kahwa would also be served,&rdquo; he told Pakistan TV Digital. &ldquo;It became inseparable from the bazaar itself.&rdquo; Even today, travelers seek the experience. Karim recalls visits from foreign diplomats: &ldquo;Tourists come all the time to try a cup of our Kahwa. They really like the taste.&rdquo; Many kahwa houses, some dating back 170 years, continue to operate in the same locations. Jamdad Khan, another long-standing shop owner, reflects: &ldquo;This shop in Qissa Khwani Bazaar is one of the oldest; the bazaar has changed, but the shop has stayed the same.&rdquo; Stepping inside a traditional Kahwakhana is a journey through time. The air is heavy with the aroma of cardamom and wood smoke, rising from massive copper samovars that constantly bubble with boiling water. Kahwa is served in green teapots called chainaks and sipped from delicate bone china cups. Rituals of service, pouring boiling Kahwa into successive cups to rinse them before the first sip, preserve the centuries-old tradition. In the narrow bazaar alleys, young boys navigate the crowd carrying trays of kahwa, a testament to how deeply the drink permeates commerce and daily life. Tourists like Yashal are struck by the ambience: &ldquo;It genuinely feels like a second home&hellip; so many people have been here before us, in buildings that are 200&ndash;300 years old.&rdquo; The recipe is simple, green tea, cardamom, and sugar, yet its significance is profound. Fazal Karim notes its health benefits: &ldquo;Kahwa is very good for digestion after a meal. It also reduces weight.&rdquo; While Pakistan imports much of its Kahwa, local vendors praise Vietnamese Kahwa for its flavor, underscoring the city&rsquo;s pursuit of quality in every cup. Whether for taste, wellness, or connection to history, Kahwa remains the soul of Peshawar, a tradition flowing hot and strong through the city&rsquo;s streets. A reminder that even as empires rise and fall, the simple pleasure of a cup of tea endures.

Culture

Kahwa culture, centered in Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar, blends history, hospitality, and commerce, with traditional green tea serving as a social, cultural, and culinary staple.

Peshawar’s kahwa tradition endures centuries, blending culture, hospitality and history

Faraz Saeed

LAHORE: Step through a 400-year-old Mughal gateway, and you enter a world where history and flavor intertwine. Lahore&rsquo;s Fort Road Food Street, nestled between the iconic Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort, is more than just a culinary destination &mdash; it&rsquo;s a vibrant celebration of the city&rsquo;s rich heritage and bold tastes. Situated in the heart of the Walled City, once the seat of the Mughal Empire, the street comes alive every evening. The air fills with the scent of sizzling seekh kebabs, fiery chargha, and sweet jalebis. Lanterns flicker overhead as rooftop restaurants buzz with the clatter of plates and laughter. &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t just food, it&rsquo;s history,&rdquo; says a local chef who has been grilling at the same stall since the street&rsquo;s revival in 2012. His menu reads like a love letter to Lahori cuisine, featuring reshmi kebabs, malai boti, takka tak, mutton chaamp, and more. Foreign visitors come for the food but stay for the atmosphere, drawn to the street&rsquo;s timeless charm. Fort Road Food Street has become a cultural landmark. Diplomats, travel vloggers, and expatriates frequent its rooftops, eager to sample authentic Pakistani fare with a stunning view. Professor Muhammad Suzuri from Malaysia described the experience as &ldquo;a paradise of food beyond comprehension,&rdquo; captivated by the blend of Mughal architecture and culinary artistry. Returning Pakistani expatriates are often moved by the familiarity. One Australian visitor called it &ldquo;stepping back in time,&rdquo; praising the iconic Haveli restaurant for preserving the flavors and ambiance of a bygone era. Behind the food lies a thriving economy. The street provides hundreds of jobs, from chefs and servers to waiters balancing trays on rooftops in the evening breeze. Local businesses prosper, tourism flourishes, and Lahore&rsquo;s famed hospitality takes center stage. Haveli, the street&rsquo;s crown jewel, can host up to 800 guests and serves both traditional and continental dishes. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve hosted diplomats from the US, China, and Korea,&rdquo; says manager Hamza. &ldquo;They all agree: this is where you taste Pakistan.&rdquo; As dusk falls and the call to prayer echoes from the mosque, Fort Road Food Street offers more than a meal. It offers a memory &mdash; a place where the past is savored, and the soul of Lahore is served on every plate.

In eastern Pakistan, centuries-old Mughal charm blends with bold local flavors, drawing tourists, diplomats, and food lovers to a rooftop-dining haven beside the iconic Badshahi Mosque.

Articles tagged with "food street"

Peshawar’s kahwa tradition endures centuries, blending culture, hospitality and history

Lahore's food street: A celebration of history and flavor