Intricate, layered, and delightful, Kashmiri cuisine is, perhaps, one that is distinct from India’s other regional cuisines. It is not just about the food, the cuisine of Kashmir is a celebration of life where tradition and flavours come together to present the perfect Kashmiri feast. No matter if it’s a small birthday party or a grand wedding, one thing that can be guaranteed at a Kashmiri celebration is an elaborate meal, complete with various types of meat and seasonal vegetables. But how much do we know about the intricacies of this celebrated cuisine?
Kashmiri cuisine involves some age-old recipes, with the rustic flavours of each delicacy defining the rich heritage of the cuisine. Kashmiri Wazwan, for instance, is the famous Kashmiri sit-down meal, comprising a range of dishes. It is a symbol of pride for the Kashmiri culture and identity. The word ‘Wazwan’ is derived from two words - ‘waj/wazei’, meaning a cook, and ‘waan’, which means a shop. Wazas are traditional local chefs who specialise in Wazwan cuisine, and are in huge demand during the wedding season and other festivities. Wazwan is an integral part of Kashmiri culture, and thus no stone is left unturned to make it an extravagant fare whenever it is served. Dishes like Rogan Josh (a hearty mutton curry) and Tabak Maaz (served in the beginning of Wazwan) or Rista (the Kashmiri meatballs) - all of these make Wazwan a meat-lovers dream come true. It may take you about an hour to finish the meal, but its preparation time can go up to 10-12 hours. Ever wondered how the Kashmiri cuisine came into existence?
Wazwani Meal
Firdaus Mirza, a home chef running a small catering business in the Valley, learnt the intricacies of the cuisine from her mother and through heirloom recipes. She reveals that while Kashmiri cuisine has evolved over time it originally traces its roots to the 15th Century when Timur took over India and hundreds of skilled workers migrated from Samarkand, a city in Uzbekistan, to Kashmir. These migrants included weavers, calligraphers, architects, and cooks. “Their descendants are known as the ‘expert cooks’ or the ‘wazas’ in Kashmir today. They are believed to have influenced Kashmiri cuisine to a great extent, lending the dishes rich flavour and a delicious aroma,” says Firdaus, whose family is a descendant of the migrants. Later, rulers and tourists from Afghanistan and a few other places also played a key role in shaping Kashmir’s cuisine, she adds. The subsequent Mughal influence can be seen in the meat recipes and pulaos of Kashmir.
Annapurna Chak in her book, titled Multiple Flavours of Kashmiri Pandit Cuisine, notes that the two culinary styles that are predominant in Kashmiri cuisine are those of the Kashmiri Pandits and the Kashmiri Muslims. Even though the cuisine is deeply influenced by the food of the Kashmiri Pandits, the Hindus of the Valley, after the invasion of Timur, the cuisine was influenced by the culture of modern Uzbekistan. And thus, Kashmir and its food, as we know today, is a result of the influences of Central Asia, Persia, Middle East, and Afghanistan.
Seventy-year-old Asadullah Khan - who belongs to a family of wazas in Srinagar, and is a fifth-generation waza dedicated to the art of Wazwan - reveals how the meaty feast has Persian roots. According to Asadullah, an Islamic preacher, named Shah Hamdan, is credited to have brought the Wazwan style of cooking to Kashmir in the 18th Century, where it became famous during the centuries of Mughal rule. “The Mughals are said to have brought their own chefs from Persia, and one such chef married a local woman and settled down.” Asadullah belongs to the same clan. He further revealed how the original Persian Wazwan meal had a total of 53 dishes, but in today’s Kashmir, the meaty feast generally ranges from seven to 36 dishes.
Unfortunately, a number of exotic dishes of the cuisine are slowly fading away due to a host of reasons, including the unavailability of their chief ingredients. Shufta Kanagucchi, for instance, uses guchhi mushrooms as the key ingredient. It is a rare form of wild mushrooms found in Kashmir, and hence is super expensive too. No wonder the dish is known as the ‘rich man’s dessert’. Kaleeng is another dish that is no longer seen much on Kashmiri menus today, as it is made using the thick membrane that covers the sheep’s head. With less time in hand, dishes that require dedicated time and patience are losing their presence.
