Bards have penned many an ode to its beauty, and the adage ‘Heaven on Earth’ is often used when describing it. At Srinagar, a lone houseboat floating dreamily on the gentle waters of the Dal Lake, majestic snow-capped mountain peaks looming over the town square, the multiple hues of a chinar leaves fluttering in the chilly breeze and the intricately designed kanger peeping out of the jacket of a wizened old man sipping kahwa under a tree.
Kashmir’s repast is as colourful as its people. It combines different religious beliefs, delicate flavours and robust meaty textures to form an exquisite cuisine which is revered in India and many parts of the globe. The popular Balti curries which are enjoyed abroad, particularly in the UK, find their origins in the Baltistan region of Kashmir. The people of Kashmir, irrespective of their religion, are largely meat eaters – mutton being the most commonly used ingredient. Their curries are predominantly yoghurt based and are generally laced with copious amounts of ghee and a variety of dry fruits, to make them even richer. Saffron too, is used extensively to flavour many Kashmiri dishes.
Now strife-ridden, Kashmir was once a beautiful haven where Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits peacefully co-existed. As a result two outstanding types of cuisines which were so similar yet so different from each other emerged from this region. Most of us are familiar with the Kashmiri wazwaan, the cuisine of the Kashmiri Muslims which is largely meat based. Considered to be the high cuisine of Kashmir, wazwaan is often described as more of an art and is prepared during feasts, weddings and any such important event. The cuisine usually makes use of different types of meat like mutton, lamb, chicken and fish; beef is usually not prepared in Srinagar, but in other areas of Kashmir it is frequently consumed. The cuisine generously uses ingredients like onion, garlic and pran which is the Kashmiri shallot. Kebabsare an essential and varieties like sheekh kebab and marts kebab are regularly served during a wazwaan. Other specialties include goshtaba (meat balls in yoghurt) and tabakh maaz (tender mutton ribs). Interestingly, serving pulses or lentils during wazwaan is considered to be sacrilege, which is why dishes containing these items are left out of the menu.
Although Kashmiri Pandit cuisine might have a similar cooking style, there are certain stark differences between it and wazwaan. Kashmiri Pandits avoid the use of onions, garlic in the preparation of dishes. Although Kashmiri Pandits are Brahmins they still consume meat; mutton is eaten yet chicken is often avoided. Hing or asafoetida is commonly used to flavour the food. Typical vegetarian dishes from the cuisine of Kashmiri Pandits include ladyar tsaman (Indian cheese in turmeric), veth tsaman (Indian cheese cooked in oil and Kashmiri spices), dama oluv (potatoes), nadeir yakhean (lotus stem), choek vangan (sour brinjal), nadier palak and the razmah goagji(rajma bean with turnip). Non vegetarian specialities include favourites like rogan josh, qaliya, kabargah, goshtaba, aab gosht, shab deg, Kashmiri yakhni and gaad (fish, which often cooked with lotus stem, kohlrabi or radishes.)
Unlike many Indian cuisines, Kashmiri cuisine is not always readily available in most restaurants across the country. So when a chance comes up to try authentic Kashmiri food, it should definitely not be missed.