“The world is a book & those who do not travel read only a page!”
Couldn’t agree more with these words. Travel is such an important aspect of life and there is so much to learn and explore through it.
Some even say it is better to see a place once, than hear about it a thousand times. This sentence is apt for my recent trip to what’s called Paradise on earth & rightly so!
The charming snow cladded mountains of Kashmir mesmerize you even before you land into the city and continue to do so throughout the drive around.
The water frontiers reminded me of Geography class during school and shots of every movie I have seen them in.
Cozy houses. Steep zigzag roads. No humidity.
You know you are in another world altogether.
On my trip to this heavenly city, I also discovered and tasted some delicious local food.
For me, as a traveller and food lover, it is extremely important to try the natives of a place I am at, rather than sticking to the conventional food trends prevailing.
Listing below 10 things you must try when you are in Kashmir.
These are easily available in each town and more or less form to be the specialty of the state as a whole.
Tea:
Kashmiris are heavy tea drinkers.
They mainly have two types of chai.
The “Noon Chai” meaning salty tea – which is pink in colour due to the addition of soda bicarbonate. It is also known as Sheer Chai. And the “Kashmiri Kehwa”.
You’ll find the traditional Kashmiri Kehwa in every corner of the state. Much like Mumbai has its “Chai ki Tapri”.
This one was also served as a welcome drink in every hotel we stayed.
Traditionally, Kehwa is a sweet green tea made of saffron, spices and almond flakes.
Since the temperatures here are always low, this is a healthy, tasty and refreshing drink to keep you warm.
Wazwan:
The Wazwan is like a Kashmiri Thaali.
You can opt to choose the dishes from the menu and form your own Wazwan or leave it to the restaurant to decide for you.
We tried both the options, at two different places and each had its pro and con to it.
Normally, a Wazwan is enough to serve a big family of 8-10 people.
It usually consists of 2 starters, 2 to 3 gravies, Rotis and Rice.
The standard dishes include:
Seekh Kebabs: Chicken or Mutton
Diced Chicken: They like to call this Chicken Tikka in some places but they are actually small pieces of chicken either fried or tossed in some chinese sauces.
Rista – this is made of hand pound meatballs and cooked in a tomato-based gravy.
Gustawa – It consists of the same balls but is cooked in a cashew-based gravy.
The balls are supposed to be soft and should break easily.
Tandoori Roti: Freshly made and hot from the Tandoor – you can’t miss this with all your kebabs and gravies!
Rice: Some places offer plain steamed rice while some have a choice of Kashmiri Biryani.
Mutton Rogan Josh:
Kashmiri’s are heavy meat eaters. And mutton is a notable ingredient in this cuisine.
We all know that the Mutton Rogan Josh is a native to Kashmir.
The dish literally translates to “cooked in oil at intense heat” and also gets its colour because of the prominent use of Kashmiri Red Chillies.
If had at the right place, this dish will win you over!
Even though I am not a fan of mutton, I’ve loved this home-style cooked curry we had while on our Houseboat.
The exact opposite of Mutton Rogan Josh is the Yakhni. This is a youghurt based gravy without turmeric or chilli powder and mainly flavoured with bayleaves, cloves and cardamom. It is ideal for those who are not looking for something spicy and can be a good accompaniment with either rice or Tandoori Roti.
Breads:
Kashmir has its local favourites when it comes to baked breads.
The local bakery offer few varieties which the locals like to have with their tea.
My favourite have been Baqarkhani and Sheermal.
Baqarkhani:
We picked this up while travelling from Gulmarg to Pahalgam to munch in the car. This is the puff pastry of Kashmir. Or should I say the Khaari biscuit of this region. It is usually round in shape and has a mild sweet taste to it.
I’ve enjoyed this thoroughly even without the tea, butter or anything to top it with!
However, I am sure it would taste delicious with Nutella!!
Sheermal:
Another famous bread is the Sheermal. This is a sweet baked bread, usually had during breakfast or evening tea.
It is more crispy than the Baqarkhani and has a charm of its own.
Khajoor:
This is not the dates. But a deep fried sweet biscuit. To absolutely describe the taste , it was a mix of Shakar Pada and Ghaatiya. However it was crispy and tasty!
Dry Fruits and Spices:
Something you must eat and also buy while on your trip. The walnuts we picked were enormous in size and so fresh!
And I still can’t get over the smell of the cardamom at the shop!
Kashmir is also very famous for Saffron and at the shops they show you how the saffron strands are picked out from the flower too!
Did you know there’s only a place in the whole city where Saffron is grown? And that the stigma is actually the strands we use in food! And that is the reason it is so exclusive and expensive!
Phirni:
There’s no great love for dessert or nothing that exclusively belongs here. However, when we asked about their regional favourite – Phirni was the answer to the question.
The sweet tooth that we have, we did try some dry fruit and coconut barfi too!
Apples:
You cannot miss munching on this fruit or visiting the beautiful apple orchards while en route Pahelgam.
Picked fresh from the tree, there are many sellers in the orchard itself. The apples were so sweet, juicy and soft!
If you visit during winter or any of the high points which are snow cladded throughout the year, there’s hot coffee, soup and instant noodles always available to keep you warm!
And some pakoras with coffee, never harmed anyone after all!
Besides the food, this is why you really should go to Kashmir.
Emperor Jahangir rightly said “if there’s paradise on earth. It’s here. Right here.”
The Food Hatter 
So tempting !! Both the scenic views as well as the food ! Well covered !!
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We visited Kashmir a fortnight back and I echo your thoughts. We missed out on the apple trees as they were empty and saffron fields were too. For food only I can go back to this place. Great write up.
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Thank you Anindya:)
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