The Popular drinks of Pakistan consist of a vast range. Tradition can be defined as the symbolic behaviours and customs that are part of one’s identity and passed on from generation to generation. Traditions may include festivities, almsgiving, and certain types of foods, drinks, dresses, and weapons.
With the advent of advancing technologies and global culture, local traditions and cultures are pushed to the margins. Still, the world’s various cultural anthropologists, linguists, and sociologists are becoming more interested in traditions, norms, ethnicities, values, and cultures that are disadvantaged. In the postmodern era, it is common for intellectuals and critics celebrate marginal cultures’ diversities and heterogeneities.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is one of the most important countries in its diversity of ethnicities, cultures, and traditions. Different provinces have their unique traditions, and these provinces can be further divided into cities, local groups, and tribes which in turn celebrate the multiple norms which add to the overall density.
Since drinks are part of one’s culture and traditions, Pakistan has a wide range of traditional drinks, including Ganne ka Ras, Shikanjabeen, Lassi, Sattu, Dudh Soda, Roh Afza, and Falooda.
Ganne ka Ras:
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Ganne Ka Ras [Sugar cane juice], obtained by pressing sugarcane through a mill machine, is a famous roadside drink enjoyed by Pakistanis. It is one of the traditional drinks of Pakistan that is commonly enjoyed during summer and is served chilled. It is also the Pakistan national drink. It is most prevalent in cities like Multan, Karachi, Larkana, Sukker, Hyderabad, Dera Ismail Khan, and Charsadda.
Ingredients:
Fresh sugarcane, a touch of lemon or orange or fruiter.
Advantages:
A glass of sugarcane juice contains several essential nutrients like flavonoids, sugar, calories, dietary fiber, polyphenolic, etc.
- During summer, it is mainly used to provide an instant energy boost.
- Apart from having an exciting effect on taste buds, this juice can prove helpful in curing acne, fighting against cancer, maintaining the proper functioning of the kidneys, and enhancing the digestive system.
- It can prevent shortness of breath and tooth decay and strengthen bones because it is rich in phosphorus, calcium, minerals, magnesium, and potassium.
- Sugarcane juice also boosts immunity and speeds up healing.
Disadvantages:
Everything, when consumed more than the requirement, becomes harmful to the human body. So is the case with this drink.
- If consumed in a great amount, it can adversely affect teeth, stomach, blood concentration, cholesterol, and sleep patterns.
- People suffering from obesity or having a high level of fats must use sugarcane juice in proportionate amounts because it can worsen as it is loaded with a high sugar level.
Dudh Soda:
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Instead of consuming carbonated drinks, which can affect health, Pakistani people prefer traditional beverages. Pakistan is a mix of soda with chilled milk prepared by Dudh Soda, which appears to be healthier than a bare drink. The carbonated beverages that are used in it may vary from person to person according to preferences. Like sugarcane juice, this drink is also widely enjoyed in summer, especially for its refreshing effect. During the Holy month of Ramadan, doodh soda (Popular drinks of Pakistan) is served during Iftaar. It is mainly used by the people of cities like Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi, Islamabad, and many more. Read More
Ingredients:
Milk, sugar, drinks like sprite, pakola, 7-Up, ice, and fresh cream.
Advantages:
Barely carbonated drinks can have drastic effects on health but mixing them with milk and having it as dudh soda, can have the following advantages:
- Milk in this drink provides minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins essential for the bones and teeth.
- Also, carbonated drinks, which are a part of it, can provide electrolytes that can stabilize the body temperature and ion proportion.
- It serves as an energy source for the body in summer.
- Although it can be scientifically debatable, it is assumed that soda can have soothing effects on breathing and thus help cope with asthma.
Disadvantages:
- Soda contains a high level of carbon dioxide, which can cause acidity in the stomach because this carbon dioxide is converted into carbolic acid after entering the stomach.
- People with osteoporosis must avoid this drink because it can cause teeth leaching and bone weakening.
Shikanjabeen:
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Another drink from the famous traditional drinks of Pakistan is Shikanjabeen which is equally and extensively popular among the masses is Shikanjabeen. This drink is renowned among Pakistani people irrespective of class, gender, and age. During Ramadan, during summer, it is an equally celebrated drink at Iftaar.
Ingredients:
Its basic ingredients include water, lemon, and ice but can also include cumin, sugar, salt, or mint depending upon the person’s taste and preferences.
Advantages:
With the dazzling rays of the sun hitting the people, this drink serve to moderate and stabilize the body and enhance immunity against the heat.
- Along with serving as a coolant, it is proven beneficial for digestion.
- Besides being deliciously healthy, it is amazingly hydrating and an energy booster on hot summer days.
- Shikanjabeen is rich in vitamin C. Human body needs a proper intake of Vitamin C because it cannot produce itself. A daily cup fulfils this requirement or daily need of the body.
- It also serves as an energy booster by providing nutrients like vitamin C and gingerol (if ginger is added).
- Because lemon contains pectin fibre, after having a glass of shikanjabeen, a person can feel full for a more extended period, thus efficiently achieving weight loss goals.
- Shikanjabeen, enriched with detoxifying effects, is a natural cleanser for the stomach and digestive tract.
Disadvantages:
- Lemon in shikanjabeen has citric acid, which can cause the stomach’s pH level to decrease, causing acidity, gastrointestinal diseases, and heartburn. If consumed in high proportions, it can also lead to an ulcer.
- If more sugar is added than required, this drink can increase blood sugar levels, leading to blood pressure and chronic illnesses.
So to make it healthier, the sugar in the shikanjabeen can be cut. Some people also make lemonade instead of shikanjabeen, adding soda. It can make this drink rather unhealthy. Pure shikanjabeen with water, lemon, and ice is healthier than sweet shikanjabeen and lemonade. Read More
Lassi: A Desi Popular Drink
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Lassi, which originated from the subcontinent and specifically from Punjab and Multan, is a signifying drink of rural areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtun Khwa where people enjoy it heartily. It is also the counterpart of breakfast in cities like Lahore, Multan, and Quetta.
Ingredients:
It is made by blending water, yogurt, sugar or salt, and spices.
Types of Lassi:
There can be variations in a recipe, and lassi can be of different types like Namkeen Lassi, Mango Lassi (more like a milkshake), sweet lassi, spicy mint Lassi, Kaiser Pista Lassi, honey lassi, vanilla Lassi, masala lassi.
Advantages:
- Like shikanjabeen, Lassi also assists detoxification and enhances the digestive process.
- Lassi also has probiotics, which are living microorganisms in the human body’s gut that prove to have benefits.
- Lassi majorly boosts the human body’s immune system because it is a rich source of Vitamin D and lactic acid.
- Yoghurt is rich in calcium, so the consumption of Lassi can strengthen the bones and teeth.
- If roasted and ground jeera and ajwain are added to Lassi, it can help cope with bloating, constipation, and other stomach problems.
Disadvantages:
- Since yoghurt and milk contain a high proportion of lactose, it can cause sickness in people who are lactose intolerant.
- Some people add fruits like mangoes, bananas, butter, and sugar. Because of this, the sugar level of lassi increases. If this type of lassi is used frequently, it can cause obesity and weight gain.
Sattu: Natural Coolant
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Sattu drink is one of the most popular drinks in Pakistan. It is powdered flour from various bowls of cereal, and ground pulses richly loaded with essential nutrients like protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. The nutrients it contains are highly concentrated. Sattu, a traditional drink of Pakistan, is widely used in various parts of the Punjab province of Pakistan, including both rural and urban areas but mostly in rural areas.
Ingredients:
Its ingredients include water, gram flour, sugar (either brown or white), and ice.
Advantages:
- It helps the body in digestion, regulating temperature and blood pressure, fighting people with diabetes, enhancing weight loss, and serving as a natural coolant.
- It also benefits the hydration and glow of the skin and hair follicles.
- It can be used as the ingredient of different recipes and the primary ingredient of the drink Sattu.
- Sattu contains essential nutrients like minerals, vitamins, potassium, and magnesium, which help reduce bloating and boost metabolism. Thus, it is effective in reducing weight and burning fat.
- It also helps in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So, it helps keep the heart safe from any acute, chronic disease.
- Being a diabetic-friendly food, the drink of it also helps to reduce the sugar level of blood. Also, it is enriched with protein and essential minerals, which makes a person able to cope with diabetes.
- Sattu also helps in fighting against hair fall. It also adds glow to the skin, thus enhancing beauty.
- Sattu drink keeps the body hydrated during the scorching days of summer.
Disadvantages:
- Excessive use of this drink may cause joint pain.
- When consumed more than the requirement, it can cause diabetes.
Rooh Afza: Most Common Drink
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Rooh Afza is a red-coloured syrup that is used to make drinks. This syrup is a delicious combination of various herbs, natural extracts of flowers, vegetables, sugar, and fruits. With its vibrant colour, when served chilled, this drink has a refreshing and cooling effect on the body. It is the most known traditional drink of Pakistan among the masses of Pakistan. Depending upon the taste of a person, the serving varies. It can be served as sherbet or mixed with mint and lemon. It can also be incorporated into milk for the enhancement of taste.
Ingredients:
Rooh Afza syrup, sugar, water, and ice.
Usage of Rooh Afza
- Lemon is sometimes added to the drink of Rooh Afza for the elevation of the taste and overall nutritional value.
- Most of the time, the syrup is added to the milk rather than the sugar, which helps to keep the sugar levels low.
- The syrup can also add to the taste of ice cream, as many people use it this way.
- Rooh Afza drink can be consumed on an empty stomach as it has no side effects.
Advantages
- It is traditionally used because it can help ease dehydration, improve haemoglobin, and prevent indigestion.
- It also helps in maintaining cardiovascular health.
- The consumption of Rooh Afza can help in easing nausea and diarrhoea.
- It also helps in combating the numbness of the kidney. It is also effective against the problems like giddiness and stomach cramps.
- Because the syrup of Rooh Afza contains extracts from natural coolants like watermelon and coriander, this can also serve as a coolant in summer.
Disadvantages
- An overdose of this drink can cause diarrhea and bloat.
- It can be harmful to diabetic people.
Falooda: A Street Drink
Popular drinks of Pakistan
Falooda is more like a dessert combining rose syrup, noodles, milk, and sweet basil seeds. This drink has its origin in the Persian dish Faloodeh. This drink is mainly enjoyed in cities like Lahore, DG Khan, Multan, Karachi, Islamabad, Sibbi, Peshawar, and DI khan.
Ingredients:
Milk, dry fruits, rose syrup, ice cream, Falooda Sev, nuts, basil seeds. Fruit-flavored jelly and kulfi can also be used.
Advantages
- Falooda can prove to help relieve constipation and bloating.
- Falooda is enriched with omega-3 fatty acids so that it can reduce inflammation in the body. It also helps in the rejuvenation of the skin.
- Basil used in falooda can aid gut health and also help in maintaining blood cholesterol levels.
Disadvantages:
- Its over-intake may lead to abdomen discomfort, headache, and loss of appetite.
- By eating too much falooda there can be hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia can cause damage to the kidneys and blood vessels.
Chai: Most Celebrated Drink
Popular drinks of Pakistan
With the arrival of the guests, be it in summer or winter, the drink served hot is Chai, the most common drink from the traditional drinks of Pakistan. It is prepared by boiling the granular tea with sugar and adding milk. Mainly served with various kinds of cookies and biscuits, Chai is considered suitable for every event or gathering irrespective of weather and place and is equally enjoyed in all the provinces of Pakistan and rural and urban areas.
Types of Chai:
Popular drinks of Pakistan
There are several types of tea including the following:
- Ginger tea
- Cardamom tea
- Kashmiri tea
- Tulsi Tea
- Masala tea.
- Lemongrass tea
- Jasmine tea
- Doodh Patti tea
Advantages
- Recent research has shown that tea contains anti-inflammatory components and prevents the risk of heart disease.
- It also helps reduce blood pressure to normal and maintain cholesterol levels.
- Green tea contains L-thiamine and a small amount of caffeine which help to elevate energy levels. Tea also helps in releasing stress and fatigue.
- It prevents the risk of neurological diseases. Consuming healthier tea can prevent illnesses associated with the decline of cognitive abilities.
- It also contains antioxidants.
Disadvantages
Despite having several health benefits, tea can also cause several side effects like,
- Causing complications in pregnancy
- Affecting sleep patterns
- Causing heartburns
- Producing dizziness due to nausea
Conclusion About Popular drinks of Pakistan
Pakistan is a country with a rich culture and cuisine, and this is reflected in its wide variety of popular drinks. From refreshing sugarcane juice to sweet and creamy rabri doodh, there is something for everyone to discover. Whether you are looking for a quick refreshment or an exquisite dessert, Pakistan has the most delicious drink for you. They are a delicious way to cool down on a hot day or enjoy a sweet treat. I hope you enjoyed learning about Pakistan’s popular drinks. If you can visit, try some of these delicious beverages.
