Dry fruits are the best nutritious snacks to munch on, especially during the winters! Even cities such as Karachi where it’s never really cold, the population flocks to dry fruit vendors in search of good quality peanuts, walnuts, almonds and the like.
Don’t know why dry fruits are amazing? Take a look below!
Health Benefits
While dry fruits are generally not consumed in an abundant quantity all year around due to perceptions of them being bad for you, the reality is that dry fruits are extremely beneficial for health.
Barring any medical conditions, it is generally recommended to eat a handful of assorted nuts in a day as they are a powerhouse of essential nutrients.
Some highlighting benefits are as follows:
- Consumption of almonds helps in maintaining blood cholesterol levels at an optimum level, along with providing a considerable amount of fiber and stabilizing blood sugar levels.
- Walnuts are notoriously known as “brain food” due to the presence of compounds such as vitamin E, Omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants that work to enhance cognitive function. They also have cancer fighting abilities.
- Dates are another form of dried fruit that are chock full of iron and deliver a boost of energy. Dates are also incredibly helpful in aiding digestion and helping to relieve constipation.
- Consumption of nuts reduces risk of osteoporosis, a debilitating disorder. Prunes in particular are helpful in both preventing and reversing bone loss.
Now that you know the goodness of dry fruits, learn about how Pakistan has the best ones!
Dry Fruits in Pakistan
Pakistan is an unbelievably blessed country with an adverse range of capabilities in literally every genre. You name it, we have it! This is particularly true for dry fruits, which Pakistan has an abundance of.
In fact, not only does Pakistan produce plenty of assorted dry fruits, but also has the capacity to export many of them. The economy of the areas of Gilgit and Balltistan largely depends on dry fruits.
The area is famous for producing high quality almonds, apricots, cherries and other dry fruits. Did you know that an astonishing 120,650 tons of almonds are produced here every year?
Walnuts
Walnuts are a popular dry fruit in Pakistan. They are produced in northern region of KPK province in districts of Swat, Dir, Bunir, Chitral, Shangla and Malakand Agency.
Many selections of walnuts grow in these areas, however, properly trained manpower, breeding of high quality yields and education of farmers is necessary in order to increase yield and production area.
Groundnut
Groundnut is an important cash crop. It is being cultivated on huge areas throughout Pakistan.
Both yield as well as the area under production is increasing every year. However, the overall market for groundnuts is limited.
Chilghoza (Pinus gerardiana)
Did you know the extremely-difficult-to-eat Chilghoza has an equally difficult to pronounce name? Yeah, me neither.
The Suleiman Range has the world’s largest pure stand of Chilghoza forests! It is quite sad, however, that due to a lack of awareness, people are cutting down these trees in order to sell the timber for livelihood.
This is largely due to the fact that the local population is unaware of the untapped potential. Given access to the right tools and information, such as proper collection procedures, roasting, sorting and packing practices, the income for the local population could grow at least 4-fold.
Figs
Figs are among the oldest fruits to be cultivated on Earth. They’re called “Injeer” in the local language and hold a unique importance for Muslims as it is said to be a fruit of the Heaven, and has been mentioned in the Holy Quran as well.
Figs too are produced in abundance in Pakistan.
