The local cuisine of Punjab is heavily influenced by the agriculture and farming lifestyle prevalent from the times of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. Dishes similar to tandoori chicken may have existed during the Harappan civilization during the Bronze Age of India. According to the archeologist Professor Vasant Shinde, the earliest evidence for a dish similar to tandoori chicken can be found in the Harappan civilization and dates back to 3000 BC. His team has found ancient ovens at Harappan sites which are similar to the tandoors that are used in the state of Punjab. Physical remains of chicken bones with char marks have also been unearthed.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="eco">Template:Cite news</ref> Harappan houses had keyhole ovens with central pillars which were used for roasting meats and baking breads.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sushruta Samhita records meat being cooked in an oven (kandu) after marinating it in spices like black mustard (rai) powder and fragrant spices.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Ahmed (2014), Harappan oven structures may have operated in a similar manner to the modern tandoors of the Punjab.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
There are many styles of cooking in Punjab. In the villages many people still employ the traditional methods and equipment for cooking purposes. This includes wood-fired and masonry ovens. Modern methods include cooking on gas cookers. Tandoori style of cooking involves use of the tandoor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In India, tandoori cooking is traditionally associated with Punjab<ref>[1] The Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra By Daniel Jacobs, Gavin Thomas</ref> as Punjabis embraced the tandoor on a regional level.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This style of cooking became popular throughout India after the 1947 partition when Punjabis resettled in places such as Delhi. According to Planalp (1971), "the Panjab-style underground oven known as tandur is becoming increasingly popular in New Delhi" pointing to the Punjabi style of the tandoor.<ref>Planalp, Jack M. (1971) Heat Stress and Culture in North India. U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command,[2]</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In rural Punjab, it is common to have communal tandoors,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Pind Diyan Gallian PTC Channel - Bilga (Jalandhar)</ref> which are also called Kathtandoors in Punjabi.
Punjab is a major producer of wheat, rice and dairy products. These products also form the staple diet of the Punjabi people. The state of Punjab has one of the highest capita usage of dairy products in India.<ref>Times of India Template:Cite web</ref> Therefore, dairy products form an important component of Punjabi diet.
Dairy products are a staple in Punjabi cuisine.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Both cow milk and water buffalo milk are popular. Milk is used for drinking, to add to tea or coffee, to make homemade dahi (yogurt), for butter and making traditional Punjabi cottage cheese called paneer.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Traditionally, yogurt is made every day using the previous day's yogurt as the starting bacterial culture to ferment the milk. Curd is used as dressing for many raita dishes, to prepare kadhi, to prepare cultured buttermilk (chaas), and as a side dish in a meal.<ref>Misra, R., 2011. Indian Foods: AAPI’s Guide Indian Foods: AAPI’s Guide To Nutrition, Health and Diabetes page 46.</ref> Buttermilk is used in making various kinds of lassi.<ref name="Misra2012">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Kaur, K., 2004. Postmodernity and Popular Culture in Amritsar'. Indian Social Science Review, 6(1), pp.107-34.[3]</ref><ref name="ShiHo2010">Template:Cite book</ref> It may also be used in curry preparations.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Milk is also the prerequisite ingredient for butter and ghee (clarified butter).
Food additives and condiments
Food additives and condiments are usually added to enhance the flavor of the food. Food coloring is added to sweet dishes and desserts. Starch is used as a bulking agent.
Kebab: braised chicken, beef, or lamb meat, commonly served with naan and flat bread.
Keema: Braised minced lamb meat, commonly served with naan.
Lamb: including rogan josh, Bhuna Gosht,<ref name="autogenerated1">Know your state Punjab by gurkirat Singh and Anil Mittal Airhunt Publications Template:ISBN</ref> Kadhai Gosht, Raan Gosht, Dal Gosht, Saag Gosht, Nihari, Rara Gosht, Paye da Shorba
Kunna Gosht, slow cooked meat prepared in Kunna (mitti ki bartan (clay utensil))
Haleem is made of meat (beef or chicken) slow cooked with a mixture of legumes softened by overnight cooking it is a protein rich food with spices and aromatics like nutmeg served with wedge of lemon and sautéed onions.
Khichdi, a grain-and-lentil dish:<ref name="ReferenceA">Alop ho riha Punjabi virsa by Harkesh Singh Kehal Pub Lokgeet Parkashan Template:ISBN</ref> In the Punjab, khichdi is made of millet flour, mung beans and moth lentils (Vigna aconitifolia). However, khichdi made of rice and red lentils or mung beans is also consumed.
Rajma is the Hindi word for red kidney beans. Beans are cooked in medium spicy onion-tomato gravy and most often served with steamed rice and sometimes with Indian flatbread called chapati (phulka in Punjab region).
Paneer (freshly made cottage cheese) Recipes like shahi paneer, khoya paneer, paneer kofta (paneer chunks battered and fried, then simmered in a spicy gravy), Amritsari paneer, matar paneer (paneer with green peas), paneer paratha (wheat flatbread stuffed with paneer), palak paneer
Panjiri: This is a traditional North Indian dessert<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and is popular in Punjab region as well.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which has a generous amount of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, dry dates, cashew nuts along with whole wheat flour, sugar, edible gum, poppy seeds and fennel seeds to make the traditional dish of 'panjri' or also known as 'dabra'.
Churri: It is made in different flavours salty and sweety but most famous type is mixing crushed wheat chapati, sugar and real cow ghee.
Saag: a variety of leafy greens (including spinach and mustard greens), typically cooked down to a stew, tempered with ginger, tomato, onion, garlic, chilies and other spices, and often enriched with paneer or cream. Bathua is also added to enhance the flavor. It is served with butter on top and with makki ki roti. Saag is a winter and spring delicacy; it is one of the most popular dishes of Punjab.
Eggplant: Baingan bharta is similar to baba ghanoush in the way the eggplant is prepared by roasting and peeling the skin off, but much richer, with the incorporation of much cooked tomato, browned onion and a variety of spices instead of tahini.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Punj Ratani Dal:<ref name="autogenerated1"/> A thick gravy that uses 5 legumes, with tomato, browned onion and spices.
Punjabi kadhi pakora (traditional curry with rice). Kadhi is a type of curry made with yogurt or buttermilk, which is thickened with chickpea flour and seasoned with ginger, turmeric, chilies, and tempered spices. Deep-fried lumps of spiced chickpea-flour batter (pakoras) are also added.
Punjabi lassi paneer: In the Punjab, it is traditional to prepare lassi and then extract the paneer which would then be consumed by adding water, salt and chili. Lassi paneer can also be added to potatoes and spices to make a curry which resembles scrambled eggs. Lassi paneer cannot be cut into cubes as paneer from milk can be.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
Snacks
Toasted grains: In Punjab, toasting corn and wheat grains on the Punjabi bhathi is a traditional snack preparation.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
Suwaiah-a sweet milk based desert with a special type of pasta<ref>–</ref>
Bread
Punjabis eat a variety of breads. Flatbreads and raised breads are eaten on a daily basis. Raised breads are known as khamiri roti. Sunflower and flax seeds are also added in some breads occasionally. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways:
Baked in the tandoor like naan,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> tandoori roti,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> kulcha,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> or lachha paratha<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
Deep fried like puri,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Kachori<ref name="Matar Kachori">Template:Cite web</ref> and bhatoora<ref name="autogenerated1"/> (a fermented dough)
Salt-rising bread: Salt-rising bread is a unique bread found only in the Salt Range region of Punjab, Pakistan. Since rock salt is readily available in the salt range, many people in the past made use of salt instead of yeast to leaven the bread.
Sattu is a traditional North Indian drink that is also traditionally consumed in the Punjab. Sattu is made by roasting barley grains and then grinding them into powder, mixed with salt and turmeric and water.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
The local regional drinks in Punjab also include Doodh soda (milk soda),<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Desi Daaru (a local form of alcohol in India) and Bantay (a local soda drink) in Pakistan.
A masonry oven is known as a bhathi. Outdoor cooking and grilling have many different types of bhathi. A bhathi is used to roast wheat or corn for which Kalsi (1992) describes as a "special oven with an open pan in which sand is heated to roast corn."<ref>Kalsi, Sewa Singh (1992) The evolution of a Sikh community in Britain: religious and social change among the sikhs of Leeds and Bradford. Community Religions Project Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds [4]</ref>
Hara
A hara is a six-foot-tall oven with its own roof. The hara is traditionally used to slow-heat milk or slow-cook pulses such as chickpeas.<ref>Sidhu Brard, Gurnam Singh (2007) East of Indus: My Memories of Old Punjab. Hemkunt Press [5]</ref>
Tandoor
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According to Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History by Mukhtar Ahmed,<ref>Ahmed, Mukhtar (2014) Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume IV: Harappan Civilization - Theoretical and the Abstract. Amazon. [6]</ref> Harappan oven structures may have operated in a similar manner to the modern tandoors of the Punjab. The tandoor is traditionally made of clay and is a bell-shaped oven, set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal reaching high temperatures. According to Roy Hayter<ref>Hayter, Roy (1992) Food Preparation and Cooking: Levels 1 & 2. Macmillan International Higher Education,[7]</ref> the original versions of the tandoor "in the Punjab, a province in the north-west of India, were sunk neck deep in the ground". He further states that modern versions can also rest above the ground.
Etiquette of eating is considered a major part of the cuisine. Every Punjabi household follows certain regional etiquette. The word etiquette has many local names depending on the particular region of Punjab. Though certain etiquette varies regionally, there are many etiquette practices that are common throughout Punjab. Communal dining is a norm in Punjabi families.
Bringing and sending fresh fruits, sweets and food items as gifts to family members is a common practice in Punjab, particularly during the spring season. Food items are distributed among neighbors as well on special occasions and as a sign to show hospitality. Mango is considered a delicacy and produced widely in Punjab,<ref name="TRTA Pakistan Mangoes">Template:Cite web</ref> and mango parties are common during the fruit's harvest season. Watermelon and radish at food stalls are shared among friends and relatives.
An invitation to a meal or tea is typically distributed few days beforehand. Denying the invitation for no major reason is considered a breach of etiquette.
Table setting is done before the arrival of the guests.
Family members or any occupants within one home make sure to eat together during the dinner. If any other person is present in the vicinity, then they are offered meals as a way of giving respect. It is considered rude to start eating food without asking others to participate in a meal. It is customary to offer food to anyone in your vicinity before eating. The invited guest or elder person is given special respect and attention. Usually the invited guest is requested to start the meal. It is considered rude if the host starts eating without taking into account the attendance of all guests.
Punjabi families use a hybrid style of South Asian and European utensil etiquette most of the time. The bread and rice are eaten with the hands. Desserts are eaten with spoons. Soup spoons are used for consuming soup and forks are used for eating noodles. Chewing food with one's mouth open and burping in front of others is considered rude. In the villages of Punjab, an additional common plate is usually placed on the table for any bones left from the consumption of bone meat. Placing leftovers on the floor or on the table floor is considered bad etiquette.
The roadsides often serve as suburban eatery centers. They can also be a communal place to sit and chat. Some serve on the same concept of the greasy spoon.
Punjabi cuisine has spread internationally. Punjab in London has been family-run since 1946 and is the UK's oldest North Indian restaurant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The New Punjab Club,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> located in Hong Kong, became the world's first Punjabi restaurant to earn one Michelin star in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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