Hash and mutton: Stalking the alleys of Peshawar

What the guidebooks will not tell you about Peshawar's famous Namak Mandi, or Salt Bazaar, is the easy access to a pinch of hash to go with the traditional meat fare the street is celebrated for. The herbal intoxicant is known to lend an edge to appetite. And what better place to get the juices flowing than Namak Mandi, where you can sink your teeth in all the lamb you could dream of?

It is not for nothing that of all the eateries in this bazaar in the heart of the old city, the Charsi Tikka shop draws customers in droves. The name is a nod to the combination of hash and mutton that has become something of an epicurean delight – much like red wine with meat. But while you would be lucky to find wine or any sort of alcohol in the conservative Northwest Frontier Province, the Spartan rooms in the Namak Mandi restaurants where people sit to eat meat are often smoky with the scent of cannabis.