HUNZA:

Hunza is a town in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Having a name similar to the famous Hunza Valley in Pakistan, it must have been named after the famous Hunza people. Hunza is famous for its apples and is shaped like an apple with its body in the Gilgit region and its core in the Kachi Plain region. Hunza also has a cold climate and a clean environment. In this sense, Hunza is similar to the Swiss Alps, where Swiss chicken recipes originated.


When you think of keeping chickens in Pakistan, you probably think of cities like Islamabad or Karachi. However, there are several communities that keep chickens in Hunza. People in Hunza use their chickens to make a special type of chicken broth. The chickens are also used to make chicken meat dishes and to make chicken eggs. In addition, the chickens' feathers are used as stuffing for pillows and bedding. Clearly, keeping chickens in Hunza is an integral part of daily life.

Procedure & Ingredients:

Hunza people also use their chickens to make a special type of chicken broth. They place their raw chicken pieces into an earthenware vessel with melted butter and rock salt and let it stew for about 12 hours. After stewing, they remove the pieces and strain the broth through a cloth to get clear chicken broth. They then return the pieces to the eartherware vessel with melted butter and rock salt for another 12 hours to finish brothsitting them. When done, the chicken pieces are tender enough that you can eat them whole- cooked pieces of poultry still have bones.

The cooked poultry is then chopped into small pieces and served with saffron rice on a bed of wild roses in an apple pattern on a plate with pine trees surrounding it on either side. The plates are garnished with apples, pears, pinecones and other edible garden items associated with the season. For dessert, there is pavlova or fruit salad served with whipped cream on a bed of fresh flowers. The meal is topped off by hunza melon wine- a specialty of Hunza that tastes like wine soda sweetened with honey.

Based on these examples, it's clear that eating chicken as part of a traditional Pakistani diet goes far beyond fast food concepts such as ketchup or teriyaki sauce on white bread or white rice combinations. Rather than regarding this cultural heritage as an obstacle to be overcome or as an exotic fad that only certain people can appreciate, those who enjoy eating traditional foods from around the world would be well advised to reconsider what 'chicken' means to them and how they prepare it for consumption.