A Pinch of Persia
Apr 22, 2026
In her latest column, Maryam Jillani traces Persian cuisine’s influence on South Asian cuisine, from historic Sindhi connections to Mughlai royal kitchens, down to contemporary Pakistani cuisine.
Maryam Jillani
Maryam Jillani is an international educator, food writer and recipe developer with a forthcoming cookbook called Pakistan: Recipes and Stories (scheduled for publication by Hardie Grant in Spring 2025). Born and raised in Islamabad, Pakistan, and currently based in Manila, Philippines, Jillani has also lived and worked in Cambodia, Mexico and the United States. She founded the award-winning blog, Pakistan Eats, and has written for Al Jazeera, Condé Nast Traveler, Foreign Policy and NPR.
Pakistani Food is Having a Moment — Where Are Its Restaurants?
Dec 27, 2025
A few years ago it felt as if Pakistani cuisine was on the precipice of stepping onto the global stage. But, the boom never came. Maryam Jillani explores why this expected culinary renaissance has shifted to the back burner.
In Pakistan, Third Places Exist, But for Whom and Until When?
May 15, 2025
Despite small pockets and different formats of revival, spaces for communities to gather and spend unstructured time together have been shrinking in Pakistani cities
Forager, Creative, Cook: Asad Monga’s Guide to Pakistani Food
Jan 28, 2025
It isn’t simply Asad Monga’s cooking - hyper local but with a real creative flair - that is innovative about him, but it is the ethos he brings with him to the kitchen that truly sets him apart
Are We Better Cooks than Our Grandmothers (and Mothers)?
Jan 08, 2025
“Ma ke hath ka khana” has had a chokehold on our culinary conscience, but is it really all that it’s cracked up to be?