Food is a great means to provide essential insight into the history and culture of a place. Since Skardu has rich history and culture, eating local food is similar to taking a trip down the memory lane and reliving the history that Skardu has to offer. Savoring a variety of dishes prepared by the locals is one of the best parts of traveling in Skardu. The local cuisine of Skardu is not spicy as in other parts of Pakistan. Here is a list of the 10 best foods in Skardu that you should try while you are in Skardu.
Mamtu, without a doubt, is one of the most popular dishes in Skardu. It is a dumpling stuffed with vegetables or minced meat and wrapped in the dough. Locals enjoy mamtu that are stuffed with minced beef, but vegetable mamtu are also savored alike. This aromatic and delicious delicacy of Gilgit Baltistan is prepared by mixing beef or lamb meat with chili, onion, and garlic. It is steamed in a multi-layer steamer for several hours. These dumplings are served with dipping sauce or ketchup.
Thick and hearty, this noodle soup is made with goat meat. Unlike traditional soups, it is not a watery affair. However, you need to eat it like gravy. The broth made with goat meat not only warms your body but also satiates your taste buds. This soupy noodle dish is made with gummy textured homemade noodles mixed with small bits of goat meat and dipped in goat meat broth. It is not only popular with locals but also a favorite dish among tourists.
Another delicacy from Skardu, Gyal, is a buckwheat cake that is either made with brown or red buckwheat. You may find different versions of this popular dish in Skardu. It is cooked on the griddle over the fire or wood burner and covered in apricot oil. Making buckwheat cake on the wood-burning stove gives it a smoky flavor.
If you have a sweet tooth, this dish will surely satisfy your taste buds. Traditionally, it is covered with apricot oil, but you will see a lot of versions in other villages of Gilgit Baltistan. For instance, some people replace apricot oil with honey and locally produced sweet apricot jam. Even in some villages, it is filled with almond and walnut paste.
Butter tea is a Tibetan-inspired traditional beverage that is the backbone of Balti cuisine. However, it is much more than putting tea leaves in hot water and adding milk to prepare tea. Rather, it is made with milk, yak butter, salt, and pre-brewed tea leaves. No breakfast in Skardu could be complete without this hot drink.
Butter tea or ‘gur gur tea’ provides warmth in cold weather and keeps the body hydrated in this high-altitude region. This soothing and warm beverage is served with apricot oil and buckwheat flour. Locals love to drink it anytime – in the morning, on special occasions, with guests, etc. After all, it is always tea time somewhere!
If you visit Skardu, don’t miss the chance to try out this special tea that not only keeps you warm in the mountains but also allows you to immerse yourself in the local traditions and culture.
Chapshoro is arguably the most famous food of Skardu that looks like pizza or Spanish empanada. However they both look similar, but they taste very different. It is bread filled with minced meat and onions. This traditional meat-stuffed bread is made with mutton or beef and spices like coriander, cumin, and chili powder. You may find the original form of chapshoro at roadside eateries, where it is cooked in animal fat, and the dough is prepared with a mix of wheat flour and cornmeal.
However, locals cook it in apricot oil and stuff it with yak meat or beef. Some people also serve it with apricot oil as a dip. Some local restaurants in Skardu have come up with different versions of Chpshoro. If you don’t love beef or mutton, you may find some eateries that make it with chicken mince. Even its vegetarian version is also available for tourists.
Prapu is one of the distinctive Skardu delicacies rich in nutrition. It is a wheat noodle dish thickened with almond powder. Wheat noodles are handmade that are boiled until soft. Then a thick paste is prepared to cover the noodles, including walnuts, almonds, mint, spring onion, coriander, and green chili. Noodles are mixed with that thick paste and top it with apricot oil. It is seasoned with locally-grown herbs that enhance the taste. It is a very filling meal that can be a great treat after a long day’s hike. Prapu can be found on the menu as Prapoo or Prabu. It is one of the culinary specialties of Skaru that surely need to be tested.
Trout fish is one of the most popular and sought-after delicacies in Skardu Valley’s local cuisine. Whether grilled, fried, or baked, the trout fish is a dish that is sure to please seafood lovers with its flaky texture and mild, nutty flavor. Tourists who like fishing usually love to grill it, but restaurants in Skardu offer baked, grilled, and fried trout fish on the menu to their customers.
Fish is considered a winter food in Pakistan but is available in any season in Skardu. So next time you visit this scenic valley, don’t miss the chance to treat your taste buds with freshly caught grilled trout fish.
This is another bread dish that is made with fermented wheat dough. This round-shaped bread is baked in a wood fire oven. It is a staple food of Skardu that tastes better when served freshly baked. It is usually served for breakfast with locally prepared apricot jam and butter tea. Some people consume it with scrambled eggs and vegetables. The dough is prepared with local wheat flour, buttermilk, and yeast and then baked for perfection.
It is first baked over a hot stone and then directly brought into contact with fire. This pan-shaped, brown color bread is not like your typical thin chappati but has a thicker crust like a bun. The shelf life of khambir is up to one week if stored properly. When you walk across Skardu’s local markets, you can find this sour bread for a nominal price.
Marzan is the best food in Skardu to try, made with ground wheat grains. The whole wheat grains are pre-soaked for about two weeks before making them ready to be ground. This pre-soak process gives it a sweeter taste. This traditional food of Skardu is best consumed in the winter.
Marzan is a rare dish usually eaten and served to guests on special occasions. A small bowl of apricot oil is served on a mound of Marzan. It is a simple and most satisfying dish and perfect for providing energy to those who work outdoors year-round in the challenging mountain environment of Gilgit Baltistan.
Azoq is donut-like fried bread that is mostly served to a special guest in Skardu. It is best served with salted tea. Azoq’s pairing with salty tea is a dream breakfast for the Balti people. Come in various shapes, azoq is more delicious than donuts. No religious event is complete without the azoq. It is distributed among people on religious occasions. This fluffy and salty bread is prepared with all-purpose flour, wheat flour, eggs, salt, apricot oil, and yogurt.
We hope you now have an overview of the famous Skardu food you should try on your next trip to this beautiful, mighty-mountainous region. All these local cuisines of Skardu are rich, nutritious, and flavorsome. They are varied in taste, looks, and preparation methods. From special butter tea to prapu and mamtu to freshly-baked khambir, the traditional dishes of this region offer an unforgettable gastronomic experience to tourists. Going to Skardu and not trying out its delicious local food would be a big mistake.
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About Author:
Sondus Ubin
Sondus Ubin is a freelance lifestyle writer specializing in travel and food. With nearly 10 years of experience in lifestyle content creation, her toes are dipped in the exciting world of travel and food. In her time working as a travel writer, she has had the opportunity to interact with frequent travelers and travel photographers. All that knowledge she gains and her passion for travel make it possible for her to bring you informative yet fun travel content. Trust her words to help you plan your dream trip. She lives in Lahore, where she explores the city’s most intriguing, interesting, and unusual places and captures the beauty and essence of every place through her lens. When she’s not writing, you’ll likely find her giving her eyes a much-needed break from screens with a good book, painting landscapes, or trying out new recipes.
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