Food fest opens at Lok Vrisa

ISLAMABAD: The foodies of the twin cities were in for a great treat of desi culinary delights to the joy of their gluttony tantalising the taste buds at three-day long traditional food festival which uncovered the lids of tasty dishes at National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa).

The festival intended to celebrate the cuisine of all four provinces including Gilgit-Baltitsan and Azad Kashmir. Principle Information Officer, Mian Jahangir Iqbal inaugurated the traditional and folk food festival.

Traditional food outlets from all over the country established their stalls. Visitors got to taste a variety of delicacies including Shikarpuri Achar (pickle), falooda from Gujranwala, Aab Gosht and Hareesa from Kashmir, Rosh Peshawari, Pulao, Chapli Kebab and Peshawari Qehwa from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sajji from Balochistan, Marzan from Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindhi biryani, Kunna Tawwa fish from Sindh and haleem from Karachi. Some stallholders brought cooked food but some made it on the spot.

Besides the food stalls, folk dance and regional musical nights are also being arranged to entertain the audience in which folk artists and musicians from across the country will perform to mesmerize the audience at the national platform of Lok Virsa.

Executive Director Lok Virsa Shahera Shahid while speaking to media said, The event has been planned to celebrate spring as it was Lok Virsa’s tradition to hold annual ‘Lok Mela’ in the month of April that was shifted to October and November keeping in view the desire of people to have a spring festivity.

Besides inviting food experts from all provinces including Kashmir, various women chefs’ experts of traditional cuisines will also make food for the visitors on the occasion so that everyone can have representation in the food festival, she said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2019.