Saadullah AkhterQUETTA: Wearing hair nets and face masks, shopkeepers carefully packed fried lentils, chickpeas, potato chips and other nimco snacks into plastic bags for hoards of eager Eid Al-Fitr shoppers earlier this week. The scene is from a shop on Quetta’s famous Masjid Road, where hundreds of customers have been arriving daily ahead of the Eid holiday to buy nimco, a popular traditional Pakistani snack, typically a mix of fried ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, potatoes, nuts, and spices. Nimco is characterized by its crispy texture and spicy flavor, making it a popular snack for social gatherings and special occasions.
While many Pakistanis celebrate the Eid festival with sweets like vermicelli, rice puddings and jalebi funnel cakes, in Quetta, nimco is the go-to snack.“This bazaar is called Masjid Road and its specialty is that it is known as the Nimco Bazaar,” said Waled Sabir, a customer. “All the nimco varieties available in Pakistan can be found here.
”Man shops nimco snacks for Eid Al-Fitr in Quetta, Pakistan on March 26, 2025. (AN Photo) Safiullah Khan, the owner of a 35-year-old nimco store on Masjid Road, said he was at his shop all day long in the days before Eid to cater to holiday revelers. “Fried potato chips, lentils and mixed nimco are the basic and most in-demand items on Eid,” he said.
Customers gather to buy nimco snacks for Eid Al-Fitr in Quetta, Pakistan on March 26, 2025. (AN Photo) Apart from the appeal of its salty and crunchy f.