Choori — a delicacy still popular with Peshawarites

PESHAWAR: Choori, a sweet food composite made up of coarsely ground corn flour bread mixed with raisin, coconut, fennel seeds, cardamom, and peanuts, is a centuries-old cultural delicacy of Peshawar and still enjoys liking of the city dwellers.

The tradition of preparing and serving sweet Choori is strictly confined to the Islamic month of `Safar’ and will disappear for a year after passage of the month.

“As the month of Safar starts, elderly women in Peshawar city make arrangements for the preparation of Choori which is distributed among poor, neighbours and relatives as well,” explains Muhammad Ziaud Din, a researcher from Gandhara Hindko Board, a literary and cultural organization.

The city dwellers are seen, at times, seem to complain to neighbours and relatives over ignoring them in the distribution of the Choori during the season, he remarked.

Giving details about the recipe of Choori, an elderly woman from Peshawar said that special corn flour dough is prepared which are mixed with oil, especially Desi Ghee. Some people add sugar for sweetening the flour and some like jaggery (Gur), she added.

The baked bread, called “Rote” is turned into pieces and spread on a long sheet and exposed in an open place and inmates, mostly women and kids, start crushing them with hands into smaller parts.

Later, the crushed bread is mixed with different items like coconut, dry fruit, fennel seeds which serves as condiments and enhance the flavour of the product.

The woman, who is in her late 80s, said crushing of bread by hand is a difficult task and is becoming difficult for the new generation.

However, she went on to say, preparation of Choori by bakeries has made it easy for youngsters to maintain the traditions besides enjoying it.

Taking financial benefits from local traditions, owners of bakers and confectionaries have also displayed signs boards informing customers about the availability of Choori.

A salesman at Peshawar’s prominent bakery said that they regularly prepared and sell Choori in the month of Safar. In current season the price of per kg of Choori has been fixed at Rs. 280, he said.

As a good businessman we also take benefit of local traditions and prepare food items being demanded by people from time to time, he remarked.