What is Balti Cuisine?

I was recently unpleasantly surprised to read an article by Chris Pirillo formerly of Tech TV and all around tech guru about Balti cuisine. Mr. Pirillo implies that it is a made up cuisine that is nothing more than a very good marketing campaign. However, perhaps Chris is merely being sarcastic as is quite obvious in his fourth theory in his article.

Balti cuisine has become ubiquitous in Britain in recent years, first arising from a small restaurant in Birmingham in the late 1970s. There are now over 100 Balti houses in Birmingham alone. It originates from the region of Northern Pakistan known as Baltistan. Once a kingdom with its own royal family, Baltistan is a quite remote region nestled in the harsh and cold Karakoram Mountains.

The Balti dishes are said to be influenced by the fact that the Balti people are Nomads, traveling throughout Kashmir; and also influenced by neighboring countries such as China, Nepal and Afghanistan, making Balti a hybrid of cuisine.

Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the Balti people were said to have carried their kitchens on their backs. They would carry with them the exotic and aromatic spices traded to them by the Moghuls, a Karai (a wok like 2 handled pan) used both for cooking and for serving, and a knife needed in the preparation of meat and to chop vegetables. Unlike Indian, Pakistani, or even Chinese food, Balti is not traditionally served with rice, but instead a naan like bread.

Balti cuisine has evolved in Britain to what it is today, and nothing like what you might find in Pakistan. Indian food is becoming recognized as fine cuisine sharing the spotlight with its Continental cousins, the recent award of a Michelin star to the Tamarind Restaurant in London further emphasizes this point. As Britain continues its love affair with Indian and Indian influenced food, more and more dishes will be created that are among the most innovative, colorful and delicious cuisines in the world.