Popular Begamai rice named after its introducer in Swat
By Fazal Khaliq MINGORA: Begamai rice is one of the most popular dishes of Swat, but it has its own story that when and how the crop got its name in the scenic valley. The rice was named after a respectable lady, Begum Bilqees Effandi, who had brought its seeds from Afghanistan in 1949 and cultivated it at Bagh Dherai area in Swat for the first time. The lady was popularly known as Begum in the area. Qamar Gul, an elderly man who has been working with the Effandi family for the last 40 years, said that the rice...
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