Traditional Kashmiri cuisine traces its roots to the 15th century when Timur invaded India and 1700 skilled workers migrated from Samarkand to the Kashmir Valley. These migrants included skilled woodcarvers, weavers, calligraphers, architects, and cooks. The descendants of these cooks are the Wazas, who are the expert chefs in Kashmir.
The Kashmiri Buddhists and Pandits have influenced the food culture of Kashmir. Kashmiri cuisine bears influences of Uzbekistan, the region from where Timur came to the Valley. In the later years, cuisines of Central Asia, Persia, and the North Indian Plains have influenced traditional Kashmiri food. Rulers and tourists from Afghanistan and a few other places have played a key role in shaping Kashmir’s cuisine. Mughal influence can be seen in the meat recipes and pulaos of Kashmir.
Hindu Dogras of Jammu are mostly vegetarian and their diet includes rice, wheat, and beans. People of Ladakh consume rice, wheat, millet, goat meat, local vegetables and fruits, and dairy products of yak milk. The primary components of traditional Kashmiri cuisine are rice and meat. Hindus do not eat beef and differ from Muslims in the preferences for spices. Kashmiri Pandits, despite being Hindu Brahmins, eat non-vegetarian food. Mostly, they consume only lamb meat and refrain from eating beef, pork, and chicken; they do not use onions in cooking, while Muslim dishes have onions.
Among rice and meat, which are the staples of the Kashmiris, rice works to balance the other spicy dishes that form a part of Kashmiri meals. Rice is a component of almost all courses of the meal. For example, zarda pulao (a preparation of rice, dry fruits, saffron, and sugar) is a dessert, while barian (rice cooked with almonds, chillies, and other spices) is eaten for breakfast.
Breads of Kashmir include Lavasa (a naan-type bread), kulcha (a crispy bread that comes in two types, sweet and namkeen), Girda (mostly part of a breakfast), tilvor (similar to bagel, consumed with afternoon tea), and roath (sweet, cake-type bread, mostly prepared for special occasions). These breads have influences of Afghanistan, Middle East and Central Asia.
Some other characteristics of traditional Kashmiri cuisine are the use of asafoetida for tempering food, use of mustard oil as the medium of cooking, and a generous use of saffron as a flavouring and colouring agent
A traditional spice mix that’s a part of Kashmiri dishes is the Ver Paste‒a fine powder prepared using black cumin seeds, green and black cardamom seeds, Kashmiri red chillies, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, shallots, and garlic.
Lotus stem is a vegetable that grows in the shallow lake waters of Kashmir, and is an important part of Kashmiri cuisine. Among the signature recipes of Kashmiri cuisine are Rogan Josh, a curried meat dish, Aab Gosht (lamb cooked with milk gravy), Goshtaba (a traditional Kashmiri curry of spicy meatballs cooked in yoghurt gravy) and Tabakh Maaz (crispy mutton pieces infused with spices), Shab Deg (prepared using meat and turnip), Dum aloo (preparation of potatoes with spices), and Lyodur Tschaman (a preparation of cottage cheese in a creamy turmeric-based gravy).
Noon chai, or pink tea, the traditional Kashmiri tea is believed to have come to Kashmir from Turkestan. Kahwa, another popular drink of Kashmir, is believed to have come to this region through the Spice Route. This tea is said to have originated in the 2nd century AD during the rule of the Kushan Empire.
Food mentioned in the ancient Kashmiri scriptures and accounts written by travellers include rice, milk, fruits like apples, pears, cherries, and peaches, saffron, curd, flour cakes, meat cakes, fish, trout, salmon, ducks, green vegetables, pulses like peas and broad beans, and pirchan, an omelette-like recipe. Popular Kashmiri dishes include kebabs of different types, various pulaos, several meat preparations, teas, and kulfis.
A striking feature of Kashmiri cuisine, especially Muslim food, is the Wazwan, a multi-course meal that Kashmiris are proud of and forms an important part of their food culture. Wazwan is served at international food festivals and prepared on special occasions in Kashmir. This royal meal includes a rich variety of meat-based dishes. In the Kashmiri language, waz means cook and wan means shop. Wazwan is a formal banquet consisting of 36 courses and eaten in groups of four, where people in the group share one meal, eating from a huge copper plate. Most dishes in the Wazwan have Persian names. Muslim saints from Iran and Central Asia are said to have introduced this feast to Kashmir.
A visit to Jammu and Kashmir will give you the real taste of the wonderfully varied traditional cuisine of this region.
