The food Hunzais actually eat is different from what most tourists order. Here is what to ask for.
Hunzai food is distinct from both Pakistani lowland cuisine and the simplified tourist menu. The traditional diet is high in whole grains, dried fruits, and dairy — apricots in particular are central to Hunza's food culture, appearing as dried fruit, in oil form, as jam, and in cooking.
The famous Hunza diet that gained international attention in the 1970s (claims of extreme longevity) was exaggerated, but the food genuinely is healthy and nutritious. What you eat at a family guesthouse is very different from what you'll get at a tourist restaurant — seek out the former.
Dense buckwheat flatbread, slightly nutty in flavour. The staple of traditional Hunzai meals. Best fresh off the griddle with butter or apricot jam.
Slow-cooked wheat and meat dish, similar to haleem. Cooked overnight or for many hours. Filling and warming — mainly eaten in autumn and winter.
Flatbread stuffed with minced meat, onion, and spices. Cooked on a flat pan. The Hunzai equivalent of a meat pie — very popular with visitors.
Sea buckthorn berry tea, tart and bright orange. Rich in Vitamin C. Traditionally served in winter. Ask specifically — not all guesthouses offer it.
Cold-pressed from dried apricot kernels. Used in cooking, as a skin oil, and as a condiment. Sold in small bottles throughout Karimabad bazaar. Buy here — it's half the price of anywhere else.
Dried mulberries are sold by the kilo in the bazaar. Mulberry wine (non-alcoholic fruit drink) is made at home. Mulberry season is June — fresh mulberries everywhere.
| Guesthouse meals | Best food is at family-run guesthouses that cook Hunzai home food. Tell them the night before you want a traditional breakfast or dinner. |
| Tourist restaurants | Along Karimabad main bazaar. Mixed Pakistani-Continental menu. Budget Rs.600–1,200/meal. Chapshuro almost always available. |
| Bazaar stalls | Fresh nan and chapati Rs.20–50. Simple daal rice at dhabas Rs.200–300. |
| Dry fruits & shopping | Apricot oil, dried mulberries, walnuts: buy from bazaar stalls. Better quality and half the price of Islamabad or Lahore. |