Pakistan’s First Digital ‘Museum Of Food’ Established
News Desk
Islamabad: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Films has established Pakistan’s first ‘Museum of Food’ which is a digital hub that highlights Pakistan’s rich and varied culinary scene.
In collaboration with Google Arts and Culture and the British Council, the Museum of Food is the largest and most comprehensive online resource for exploring Pakistani cuisine, not only for tourists but also for food lovers.
The digital museum has more than 9,000 photos, 90 videos and 100 stories of dishes from all four provinces of Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The museum has been developed using unusual culinary techniques provided by immigrants and has the main support of UK-based co-creators WM Legacy.
The project aims to preserve, appreciate and document the culture and heritage of Pakistani cuisine.
From the mouth-watering seafood of Gwadar to the decadent ‘sohan halwa’ of Multan and the innovative inclusion of wild bull meat in Hunza, the Chinoy Films team travelled to various regions of Pakistan to exhibit how detailed geography shapes a nation’s distinctive food patterns.
Sharmeen and her fellow filmmakers visited a large number of eateries across the country to capture the essence of traditional food practices and trace the significant impact of modernity on the country’s evolving taste palette.
Regarding the project, filmmaker Sharmeen said that the heritage of cooking in Pakistan is a fundamental part of the country’s cultural identity. But over the generations and with the challenges posed by climate change, certain home practices and traditional cuisines have become increasingly threatened, she added.
Keeping in mind the threats facing Pakistani cuisine, we embarked on a mission to reminisce about the old flavours, and also to appreciate our past and to actively preserve the techniques and customs that are at risk of extinction which should be protected and kept alive, added Journalist Obaid.
Chinoy hopes that the project will inspire people to discover, appreciate and enjoy the vibrant culture, history and cooking methods of Pakistani cuisine while adding their own stories and recipes to this narrative will encourage others also to contribute.
Google Cultural Institute Director Amit Sood said, “Taking into account the passion for gourmet food online, we are excited to unveil our latest exhibition on Google Arts and Culture, dedicated to the vibrant flavours and rich culture of Pakistan.”
From the northern mountains to the southern bazaars, Pakistan is a land of diverse landscapes and traditions, and these traditions are reflected in its cuisine, further said Amit.
British Council Arts Pakistan Director Laila Jameel stated, “We are delighted to have supported this important project. This collaboration was made possible through our Gender Ecologies Grant Program which addresses the interrelationship of women, climate change and the arts.”
According to a British Council Official, food cultures provide us with deep knowledge about people’s customs and traditions, agricultural traditions, climatic conditions, and their flora and fauna.
Laila Jameel hoped that the Museum of Food would serve as a platform to collect food practices, share them and explore the stories that come with them.
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