Food - Drink
The Sweet Juice That's Considered To Be Pakistan's National Drink
By CLAIRE REDDEN
Due to the country's location, Pakistani cuisine is a blend of Asian and Middle Eastern influences. Popular dishes like Kabuli pulao and mutton korma show Middle Eastern and Indian influences on Pakistani food, while other dishes like karahi and nihari are unique to the nation, and Pakistan's national drink is rather unique as well.
Known as Ganne Ka Ras by locals, sugar cane juice is the most popular drink in the country, sold by street vendors across the nation as a sweet, yet refreshing and balanced drink to wash down rich and spicy foods. Vendors commonly use an extractor to juice fresh sugar cane, then serve the drink with salt, mint, lime, and ginger.
Sugar cane juice is actually quite nutritious, with high amounts of magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron, in addition to antioxidants and electrolytes that make it like a natural energy drink. However, the only way to ensure that you get these benefits is if your juice is made from 100% pure sugar cane, as they do in Pakistan.