Every season has its own splendors, but winters bring some real delights for the food lovers in Pakistan. The cold and mostly dry weather of Pakistan calls for some hot and moist halwas, refreshing tea, hot coffee, fresh fruit juices, hot soups and beverages, and not to mention the dry fruits that are the most important delight for the winters in Pakistan.
All of these mouth watering specialties in food are loved by everyone whether alone or in combination. Many of them are equally popular throughout the region but some are the specialties of a particular area or city. These delighted specialties have become a part of our culture and the winters are not complete without enjoying them.
- Halwas
The tea parties in the winters are never complete without the hot and delicious halwas. Everyone loves to have the delicious halwas full of nuts often as a snack. There is hardly any option for a snack if you get to have some of it. Even those who are prohibited by the doctors to eat fatty foods don’t mind taking a bite or two in the winters. Most popular ones in Pakistan are gajar ka halwa, chanay ki daal ka halwa, kaddu ka halwa, khajoor ka halwa and badaam ka halwa. Ladies love to make different halwas at home throughout the winters but many confectioners also prepare them on commercial level.
- Teas
Black tea is the most popular and is highly consumed by the people from all walks of life throughout the year. However, tea being a hot beverage becomes a real treat in the winters. Different kinds of tea also start getting popular as the winters approach, such as; ginger tea, pink (kashmiri) tea, apple tea, green tea and the masala tea having a few whole spices added to it.
Whichever kind of tea you like, it becomes a necessity in the cold evenings of the winter season. Whether it is a casual cup of tea at work, a tea party with the friends or it’s just you relaxing in the evening, a cup of tea makes your senses relax and warm you up.
It would not do justice if we talk about the hot beverages in the winter and forget the real tempting coffee. Coffee becomes the most popular among people of all ages; even those who avoid it during the summers can’t resist it in the winters. It happens to be a real treat if you are just hanging out with a friend in the chilly evenings.
Coffee has a lot of variations and flavors and each one of them is equally popular. Keeping the basic ingredients constant, different flavors and spices are added to it to give it a unique taste and smell.
Different kinds of soups become a perfect appetizer in the winters. Continental soups and different clear soups fill you up and warm up your body instantly. They are equally popular in all urban areas and are enjoyed by people of all ages.
- Fresh Fruit Juices
Winters are blessed with lots of citrus fruits. Fresh fruit juices become really popular and people start consuming them frequently in the cold season. The nature has blessed these fresh fruits with the nutrients that help you keep away from the common cold in the winter season. They are really a gift of nature for the people of this region where they are grown in abundance.
- Dry Fruits
No one in the winters can resist the dry fruits and the nuts; that are the real treat and the perfect gift of nature. As soon as the winters approach, you will see the stalls of dry fruits all around the streets and markets. Gossiping and chatting over a having a hand full of dry fruits in the chilly winters become a perfect idea of a small party with the friends and family members.
Many youngsters and children enjoy carrying the dry fruits in their pockets as the day’s perfect snack. The peanuts, almonds, figs, kajju, walnuts, and kishmish are everybody’s heart favorite in the winters.
