Wild food plants (WFPs) play a vital role in the local food system of the far plunged gorges of the high Karakorum mountains i.e., the Balti community in Ghanche, a region known for its unique culture and traditional cuisines. Its marginalized status, remoteness, and border disputes drive dependence on WFPs, which are gathered for culinary use or sale. However, documentation on WFPs seems scarce, therefore the current study tends to record its uses and significance in the ethnic food system. Fieldwork was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews in 17 villages with 45 women and 25 men. Ethnobotanical data were analysed using citation indices' use value and relative frequency. Fifty eight WFP species belonging 24 families, dominated by Rosaceae, Polygonaceae and Fabaceae with 9, 6 and 6 species respectively, were recoded. Fruits (26%) as ripe and leaves (25%) fresh or as cooked vegetables, were the most utilized parts. Notably, 23 species were reported for the first time in Pakistan as wild foods. Twenty WFPs have the economic value in the market as well. All the WFPs are source of the key ingredients in traditional foods and driver of Balti culture. It’s observed that traditional ecological knowledge is declining among youngers due to multiple reasons. It’s concluded that revitalizing the bio-cultural heritage through exploring WFPs’ is crucial for food quality, food security and food alternatives. Community awareness through storytelling, school curricula, planned workshops, and digital media can help to preserve the generational loss pertinent to WFPs.