Wazwan the Kashmiri Cuisine

History

The history of modern Kashmiri cuisine can be traced back to the fifteenth century invasion of India by Timur. The cuisine was influenced by the culture which arrived with the invasion of Kashmir by Timur from the region of modern Uzbekistan. Subsequently, Kashmir and its food have been strongly influenced by the cuisines of Central Asia, Persia, Middle East and Afghanistan. Trade with Yarkhand and Kashgar brought with it pashmina wool as well as a variety of Chinese teas, which Kashmiris still drink, one as a creamy, salty concoction known as Noon chai or shir chai.

This ancient cuisine is a blend of many cultures but with a compelling identity of its own. It is refined, beautiful and full of rituals. The descendants of the cooks who migrated from Samarkand to the valley of Kashmir were known as Wazas, the master chefs of Kashmir.

Kashmiri cuisine has evolved over hundreds of years. The two predominant cooking styles of the Muslim community and that of Kashmiri Pandits have developed through ages of culinary craftsmanship however the Hindus of the valley, called the Brahmins have had been the initial influence over the Kashmiri cuisine.

Kashmiris including the Brahmin Pandits are voracious meat eaters. The beauty of the Kashmiri Pandit cuisine is the lack of using of the holy trinity- Onions, Tomatoes and Garlic in any traditional dishes. This is remarkable as most of India and the subcontinent can hardly think of many other curried meat or vegetable dishes, without using this holy trinity.

Most curries pair well with unadorned rice which is a staple but the variety from Kashmir is more starchy.

Traditional types of tea and breads

Kashmiris are obsessed and in love with tea. Kashmiris drink two types of tea namely Noon Chai, or Sheer Chai and Kahwah.

This noon chai where ‘noon’ means salt in Kashmiri language is made of black tea, salt, milk and bicarbonate of soda. The unique colour of the tea is due to the usage of soda. It is usually consumed in Kashmiri households along with breads during breakfast.

Kahwah is really popular among the natives of the valley. Usually the tea is made by boiling green tea leaves with saffron strands, cinnamon bark and cardamom pods and occasionally Kashmiri rose to add a divine aroma but still different households prepare this tea differently thus marking more than twenty varieties of Kahwah. Generally it is served with sugar or honey and crushed nuts, usually almonds or walnuts. It has become a custom to serve this tea at religious places, festivals and at marriages.

The valley is noted for offering a variety of traditional bakery items. One can at least find a traditional bakery shop referred as Kaandar or Kandur in every colony or locality of Kashmir. Different kinds of breads for different seasons are available in the bakery shops that have golden brown crusts and are topped with sesame and poppy seeds. Two such breads are tsochvoru and tsot that are small in size and round in shape. Other popular ones include kulcha, small, round, dry, hard and crumbly breads that are embellished with a peanut in the upper middle part. Lavasa or lawaas, a large, thin, unleavened flat bread made with maida

which can be either crispy or soft, sheermal or krippe, a dry crumbly bread generally served with kehwa and roth, a huge bread which is more like a Kashmiri dry fruit cake among others.

Distinct features of Kashmiri cuisine

The region offers a wide array of food items, particularly authentic non-veg cuisines made of chicken, mutton and fish, some of which has become hugely popular across the nation.

Spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and fennel which are generally considered hot are used widely in different Kashmiri cuisines.

Unavoidable ingredients in Kashmiri cuisine are curd and asafoetida. Curd helps to reduce the spiciness and also gives a smooth and creamy consistency to the dish. Generally Kashmiri cuisines, most of which are marked with ample use of turmeric and yogurt are quite rich in flavour and mild in taste.

Kashmir boasts of being the leading producer as well as an exporter of saffron and so is used as a colouring and seasoning agent in many of its dishes specially sweets and pulao (a rice preparation).

Lotus stem or Nadroo is also a very popular vegetable in Kashmir, which is grown in the shallow waters of Dal and Wular lakes. It is extensively used by the Kashmiri pundits during festivals and in daily cooking as well.

Wazwan

The origin of wazwan seems to be still at large. It was introduced by the traders of central Asia. Waza means cook/ head cook and Wan means work shop/place. So wazwan means cooks shop.

Wazwan is a multi-course meal comprising of thirty-six courses of meat, chicken, vegetables, salads, curd, sweet and kahwa out of which fifteen to thirty can be meat-based. Serving of any item based on lentils or pulses at the time of this feast is regarded as a desecration. Wazwan is served in copper plate/thali called Trammi or Traem. Usually, 4 people share this one Traem. Wazwan food is cooked in a very special way. The name of lord Rudra is taken prior to consuming the meal. The Wazwan is cooked in copper vessels which are plated with nickel. The food in these vessels is cooked over firewoods. Among thirty-six meals, fifteen preparations of meat are cooked overnight. The Wazwan food contains a lot of dry fruits. Before serving the food the ritual of Tash-t-naer that is washing of hands of the guests takes place with the attendants taking around a jug and a basin.

The traem is heaped with rice accompanied with four seekh kababs also including two tabak maaz, barbecued lamb ribs prepared with milk, butter and ground spices; four methi kormas, prepared out of chicken or mutton seasoned with combination of spices including dried methi (fenugreek) leaves; one zafran kokur, a preparation of chicken with saffron sauce; one safed kokur, a preparation of chicken with white sauce; and a few other courses are served to the guests. Accompaniments of the meal are served in small earthen pots like chutneys and saffron garnished yogurt. After this the junior cook serves the remaining courses.

Some Signature dishes/Specialities

1. Rogan Josh- Rogan josh was brought to India by the Mughals. The unrelenting heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir, which is where the first Indian adoption of Rogan josh occurred.

Rogan Josh is a delicious mutton or lamb curry, the name literally means ‘stewed in butter’. The red color is essential to this dish. This ground pepper is red in color but is not as hot as other Indian peppers. So a lot of it could be used to impart the red color and yet still keep the food mildly hot.

2. Yakhni - It is not one of the spicy dishes but is a mild one in which mutton is cooked in a yogurt based curry. Yakhni refers to a light curry or broth which has to include two main ingredients other than the meat - yoghurt and saffron (kesa

r). The yoghurt lends in richness to the broth while saffron adds a tempting yellow hue. You need to labour a little before being able to relish the slow-cooked dish.

3. Gushtaba/Goshtaba- Mutton is minced with fat to make tender meatballs cooked in flavourful yogurt gravy and a lot of spices. This dish is prepared on royal occasions, important ceremonies and functions.

Gustaba is called by Muslims living in the Kashmiri region of India as The Dish of Kings. It is served as the last meat dish in a Wazwan Feast, before the dessert. To refuse this dish is to highly insult your hosts at the Feast.

4. Lyodur Tschaman- This is another delicacy from the picturesque hills and mountains of Kashmir. And it's meant especially for the ones who are purely vegetarian.

One of the very few popular vegetarian dishes which are a part of Kashmiri cuisine. Lyodur Tschaman is cottage cheese cooked in creamy turmeric based gravy. This dish is cooked almost every day in a traditional Kashmiri household.

5. Nadru (lotus stem) Yakhni- Nadru is also known as Lotus stem or Kamal Kakadi in Northern India.

Nadru Yakhni is an ancient Kashmiri dish that has been made by Kashmiri Pandits since ages. The original version does not contain Onions and Garlic. This is a yohurt based dish and aromatic spices are used to give a rich and delicate flavor to this wonderful dish. In this dish, the porous roots are boiled until just tender, then stewed in a spiced yogurt gravy fragrant with dried mint.

BY

SHREY JALALI

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