Ever since I was a kid, one of the most exciting parts about travelling used to be the fact that I will get to try new kinds of food. Being an army brat, travelling was a huge part of my life and naturally I got the chance to taste food from almost all regions of the country. Now, my taste buds have always been extremists, they either go for the sickly sweet stuff or the super spicy kind. One particular food item that I have always loved is pickles.
When my dad got posted to Sibbi aka the hottest place in Pakistan (in terms of climate ofcourse), it was a good month or two before I discovered that the place has the best pickles to offer in Pakistan. It was in my dad’s senior’s dining room that I first tasted the famous chickpea pickle by the Amin and Rafique pickle shop in old Sibbi, and I just couldn’t stop eating it! It was just the right amount of sourness and it wasn’t the kind of pickle you could get sick of at all.
I then decided to pay a visit to the famous pickle shop and see it for myself. Situated right in the middle of the dusty old Sibbi. The Amin and Rafique pickle shop is a small place stacked with bottles of all kinds of pickles, sauces and jams. At first sight ,the names of the products can be a bit disorienting, I learnt that these guys can turn almost any vegetable into a pickle, even things that aren’t considered vegetables f.eg Neem! and it doesn’t taste bitter at all, amazing huh? Talking to the guy at the counter I discovered that the shop has been around for a good 50 years. He also mentioned that their products are so famous that they are shipped all over the country and abroad as well. Well, I can certainly vouch for that it has been a good 4 years since we left Sibbi and we still order pickles and jams from their shop. Because once you’ve tasted their stuff, your taste buds just cannot accept anything else.
So if you ever pay a visit to sibbi or are passing by, be sure to visit the Amin and Rafique pickle shop and try at least one of their products.
Amina Mazhar
Ever since I was a kid, eating has been a hobby. Once I grew up, I started stepping into the kitchen more often. Although I love to cook everything but baking is something I am very passionate about. Its my therapy and it definitely takes me to my happy place. Ofcourse, this hobby of mine also caters to my hyper sweet tooth as well, which is an added bonus. Because baking is something that I have learnt from my mother so it has a very emotional value for me. Since times immemorial I have seen my mom experiment with baking in the kitchen, I like to believe she has passed that skill on to me as well (I know i can never surpass her awesomeness).
