A Food Lover’s Guide to Kashmir — Wazwan & Beyond

Kashmiri cuisine is a story of invasions, trade routes, and a cold climate. Here is your food lover’s guide.

The Legendary Wazwan The Wazwan is a 36-course Kashmiri Muslim feast. It begins with the washing of hands (the traditional ‘tash-t-nari’) and ends with the sweet Phirni. Key dishes: - Rogan Josh — lamb in a rich red gravy - Gushtaba — meatballs in yoghurt gravy - Tabak Maaz — fried lamb ribs - Rista — pounded meatballs in red gravy - Yakhni — yoghurt-based mutton curry

Street Food - Harissa — slow-cooked lamb and rice porridge, served at dawn during winter - Seekh Kebab at Fateh Kadal — famously good - Matsch (Kashmiri bread) — try the ‘girda’ with morning kahwa

Kahwa The traditional green tea with saffron, almonds, cinnamon and cardamom. Served in every home, every shop, every corner of the valley.

Desserts - Phirni — ground rice pudding with saffron - Shufta — dry fruit pudding with cheese - Baala — sweet fried bread

Where to Eat For a proper Wazwan, book a Kashmiri home through your tour operator. For street food, head to the old city. For fine dining, try Mughal Darbar or Shamyana.