ISLAMABAD: Fatima Hamid, founder of Gallery 8B2, hosted the opening of ‘Food for Thought’, a collaborative art and book exhibition by visual artist, Anjum Alix Noon, and author Nilofer Afridi Qazi.

Nilofer began her food mapping journey with the ‘Pakistan on a Plate’ YouTube series, collecting and preserving Pakistan’s culinary heritage.

Speaking on the occasion, Nilofer Afridi Qazi said: “Covid forced me to stop filming and start thinking about what I have been arguing, that without documentation our oral histories will disappear. So it was incumbent on me to capture what I have filmed in a book.”

‘Culinary Tales from Balochistan’ is her first book, written about the culinary traditions of the province tracing the origins, evolution and recipes of the staple food items integral to the cultural and culinary fabric of various communities living there, interspersed with anecdotes, history and folklore.

Nilofer’s ancestral home is in Pishin, as her father, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, says, “Nilofer’s relationship with Balochistan comes from me, it is her paternal home. Normally, I go to Pishin two or three times a year but I haven’t been well for the past couple of years while she has been there several times.”

The collaboration with Anjum was a result of a conversation between the two friends.

Nilofer said: “Those of you who have seen Pakistan on a Plate would know that Anjum is the first chef in the Khanpur episode. She has been with me since the inception of the journey”.

Anjum said: “Nino’s book is a source of great inspiration. I have read it cover to cover and it has given me tons of ideas and reasons to continue this work. There is an underlying reality of Balochistan that I have discovered because of the book, since I have never been to Balochistan.”

Using a combination of mediums such as linocut, stencils, acrylic paints and aquarelleon paper, canvas and wasli in small to large formats, Anjum has created 50 pieces reflecting on the realities of Balochistan.

Nilofer also worked with Chef Ammar Mumtaz, founder of Burning Brownie, Sugar Rush, Quatro Uno, amongst others, to create modern delicacies using ancient, indigenous ingredients from Balochistan.

The two ingredients he chose to showcase were wild pistachio beans called Shney and pressure dried dates called Kaji. He used Shney to make exquisitely creamy ice cream with interesting flavour notes of wild pistachio, coffee and a nutty earthiness and a Shney coffee. The dates were mixed with dried fruit and coated in dark chocolate to create a Balochi Date Truffle.

Tanveer Yousuf said: “This is the first time I’ve tried Shney coffee and this much nicer and more compatible with the Arab qahwa if it were much stronger and you could have it in one swig.”

Zulfiqar Ali said: “I loved the paintings. The colours, shapes have been picked up from the clothes and rugs of the region. The olive tree series is stunning.”

“Growing up in Quetta, the winters were freezing cold, and only one room used to be heated in the house. The children spent the winters out on the streets and pine nuts and wild pistachios were the snacks we grew up on. You could fill your pocket with shney for 4 annas, pine nuts for 8. Peanuts were more of a luxury as we then had to find someone to roast them for us,” he added.

Ashraf Qazi in comparison had no recollections of Shney.

“I would have to be fibbing if I spoke of my memories of it. Even if I had it as a child, I have no memory of it. The book is very well written, I’m very proud of Nino (Nilofer),” Mr Qazi said, adding that, “the art is fabulous. And what a fabulous combination, making art revolve around cuisine and other things of course. Depicting the book through paintings is a great honour for Nino.”

Ilona Yusuf said: “The mind map and personal journey are fascinating but you do not need to know the personal journey to perceive it for what it is. I like the little recipe cards within. Some things are very funky while others are very serious.”

Speaking of the flood series, “I really like these - there is a splotch of blue water but the colours are of an arid space”.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2022