The Organic Roots of Café Thar

When one thinks of Thar, the immediate connection is an underdeveloped, rural desert area where basic necessities are difficult to find. However, there is another side: a peaceful, tolerant, co-existing and happier side we often do not see or hear about. Here Muslims and Hindus live together in harmony, where Hindu families host iftar parties for their Muslim neighbors, and where Muslim communities do not slaughter cows out of respect for their Hindu community’s religious beliefs. Let us look into and explore what Thar is truly about.

The Tharparkar region, also known as Thar, is a district in the southeast of the Sindh province where over 90% of the population resides in rural areas, or villages. The Thari population consists of one of the largest Hindu communities in Pakistan.

Thari culture is a mixture of Rajasthani, Gujarati and Sindhi cultures but the Rajasthani element definitely predominates here. Music and food are an important part of the Thar way of life, with communal living at the epicenter of this indigenous culture.

Even though the people of Thar live off the land with limited resources, relying on their livestock and the crops during the monsoon season from August to October, it is this very scarcity that helps them create innovative, delicious and hearty meals entirely from locally sourced organic ingredients.

The indigenous roots of Thar cuisine, is what draws people from all over the world to visit. Their vibrant culture, heavily influenced by Rajasthan and interspersed with the colors of Gujarat and Sindh, adds to the charm of the area.

Access to fresh ingredients, commonly found elsewhere in the country, is much more difficult in Thar. Hence, local grains, produce and livestock are primarily used as food sources.

For example, millet, locally known as 'bajra', is an ancient grain that can be grown in the desert. It is ground and used as flour to make a variant of the roti (a flatbread) commonly consumed throughout Pakistan.

Bajra.

Another substitute is 'chibbar', which is a seasonal crop during the winter season and is a multipurpose ingredient, often used as a souring agent and a replacement for tomatoes, which are scarce in the locality.

With over half of the community being practicing Hindus, there is a heavy reliance on vegetables, fruit and grains while meat is reserved for special occasions.

Due to the short monsoon season in the region, there is no way to make produce last without drying, pickling and preserving seasonal crops. Livestock, such as goats and cows, are often used for dairy products to make fresh butter, yogurt, chaas (buttermilk) or lassi (yogurt based drink).

Lassi - a refreshing and thirst-quenching yogurt or buttermilk-based drink relished in summers - is consumed throughout the year.

Dried Guar phalli (cluster bean or legume, easily grown in arid areas).

Guar being cooked.

Mareero ka Raita (spicy yogurt with rehydrated Amaranth).

Dried Khumbi (local mushroom).

Pyaro wants to share the indigenous foods of Thar with the entire world, which was his main goal behind opening the doors of Café Thar.

To make his vision a reality, the Pakistan Post has been enlisted to help deliver dried food and achars (preserved pickles) from Café Thar to food lovers all over Pakistan.

Bajre ki roti (millet flour flatbread) with freshly made butter on top.

During the crop season from August to December, locals take to preserving and pickling their produce with the help of spices.

Pyaro is also proud of the art, culture and music native to the Thar region and regularly arranges cultural and local live music shows in the evenings.

He hopes that one day, Café Thar will become a globally recognized institute for Thar’s food, culture, art, music and heritage.