Sikh: cheese and tradition
Paneer in the vegetarian langar kitchen of the gurdwara.
In the gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship, everyone who comes is fed free in the langar, the community kitchen begun by Guru Nanak. The langar is vegetarian, so that people of every faith and background can eat together as equals, and paneer and milk have a place on its menu. Punjab, the Sikh heartland, is a great dairy state, and paneer, lassi, curd and ghee are at the centre of Punjabi cooking.
Langar and paneer
Langar meals are cooked and served by volunteers, and eaten seated in rows on the floor, the pangat, as equals. The everyday meal is dal, roti, a vegetable dish and kheer or another sweet. On festival days, such as the Gurpurab celebrations of the Gurus' births and Vaisakhi, the langar often includes matar paneer or shahi paneer. The Golden Temple in Amritsar serves tens of thousands of meals every day, and many more on festival days.
Diet and rennet
The Sikh code of conduct, the Rehat Maryada, forbids kutha meat, which is understood by many as meat from animals killed by ritual slaughter, and many Sikhs keep a vegetarian diet, especially in religious settings. Views on meat differ among Sikhs. In the langar only vegetarian food is served, and the cheese used is paneer set with acid or vegetarian rennet. Many Sikh households take the same care when they buy cheese.
Punjab's dairy kitchen
Punjab's villages keep buffaloes and cows, and farmhouse kitchens make fresh paneer by curdling milk with lemon juice or sour whey. Palak paneer, paneer bhurji, paneer paratha and paneer pakoras are Punjabi classics that have travelled the world with the Sikh diaspora, from Southall in London to Surrey in British Columbia. Lassi, sweet or salted, and white butter on makki di roti complete the dairy table of Punjab.
Worth knowing
- Langar: Free vegetarian community kitchen
- Matar paneer: Paneer with peas, served on festival days
- Shahi paneer: Paneer in a cream and nut gravy
- Palak paneer: Paneer in spinach
- Paneer bhurji: Scrambled spiced paneer
Sources and further reading
Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.
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