An eerie silence seems to greet you upon arriving in Gujranwala. For a city as lush green and fertile as Gujranwala, the absence of the sound of birds chirping, especially the commonly found house sparrow, is immediately noticeable.

Suddenly you realise that this could be because the house sparrow, particularly the male sparrow, is considered a delicacy in the city and is on the menu of a much-frequented and popular eatery which has three outlets in Gujranwala, one in Sialkot and one in Murree too.

In reality though, the situation is not as bleak as you might think. Our server at Shahbaz Tikka at Chan da Qila in Gujranwala informs us that barbecued chirras (male house sparrows) are not on the menu throughout the year, due to various factors — the primary one being the intermittent ban placed by the authorities on the hunting and serving of the bird.

This helps ensure that the sparrows are not killed during their breeding season. Fortunately, we were lucky to be at the right place at the right time to sample this delicacy.

In case you’re wondering, the rather appetising chirras don’t just fall from the heavens and on to your dinner plate.

Male sparrows are regarded as a delicacy and are often served for both gastronomical and carnal reasons in Pakistan. Shahbaz Tikka in Gujranwala cooks some of the finest barbecued chirras the country has to offer

There’s a lengthy process involved, through which the chirras are cleaned and disembowelled before being sent to the kitchen staff at the warehouses located at designated breeding farms.

The birds are then soaked in a special, secret marinade, after which they are sent to various Shahbaz Tikka outlets for consumption. Here they are mounted on skewers, four a piece, and barbecued to tender perfection on blazing hot coals before being presented to eager diners in a cast-iron sizzler platter on a bed of caramelised onions.

The bite-sized chirra morsels have to be eaten whole, bones and all, which gives them an element of crunch. The flesh tastes gamey and has a chewy texture as compared to the batair (quails) that our party of two also ordered with sides of garlic and kalonji (onion seeds) naan (flatbread), finely chopped fresh salad and raita (seasoned yoghurt dip).

According to an urban legend, chirras are considered an aphrodisiac, and their consumption is recommended to help boost male virility and fertility. Of course, none of this has been scientifically proven.

This myth could have arisen because the male sparrow is known to father many offspring during mating season, a fact that has sealed its fate at the hands of some fragile male egos.

So the next time you see or hear of a chirra ending up on someone’s dinner plate, spare a thought and a tear for Mrs Sparrow, who must be waiting anxiously, albeit futilely, for her husband, and the father to her many children, to return home.

The writer is a member of staff.
He tweets @faisal_quraishi

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 25th, 2022