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

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.

How Kashmiri food works

The valley's cooking is built on patience: meat cooked for hours with spices, rice and bread as the base and a handful of flavours that appear again and again, such as saffron, dried ginger, fennel and cardamom. It is richer and milder than the food of the plains, with chilli from Kashmiri red peppers giving colour more than heat. Meals are social and generous, and a guest is almost never allowed to leave hungry. Our wazwan guide explains the feast in detail.

The wazwan

The wazwan is the ceremonial feast of Kashmiri Muslim weddings and celebrations: a long sequence of dishes served on a large shared platter, usually to four people at a time, with rice at the centre. Rogan josh, a lamb dish with a deep red gravy, yakhni, a yoghurt-based curry, and gushtaba, a meatball dish, are among the best known. It is a meal to eat once with an appetite and a bit of time, and it is a highlight for many visitors.

Breakfast and bakeries

A Kashmiri breakfast is bread and tea. Bakeries sell flat breads, crisp rolls and buttery biscuits, and people eat them hot with salted pink tea or kahwa. It is cheap, simple and delicious, and it starts the day in the way locals do. In the old city, breakfast may be a bowl of rich winter dishes, depending on the season, and it is best enjoyed with a guide who knows where to go.

Kahwa and tea

Kahwa is a green tea brewed with saffron, cardamom and almonds, served from a samovar and sipped slowly. It is offered in homes, shops and houseboats, and a cup in the cold is one of the pleasures of the valley. Salted pink tea, called noon chai, is another local favourite, an acquired taste with a creamy base. Try both and see which you prefer.

Vegetarian eating

Vegetarians eat well in Kashmir, though not always where you expect. Dishes such as dum aloo, nadru (lotus stem), haak (a leafy green) and rajma, along with rice, bread and fresh vegetables, are widely served. Tell hotels and restaurants clearly that you are vegetarian, and ask whether stocks and gravies are meat-based, since some local dishes use meat stock. We can arrange vegetarian and Jain meals with hotels in advance.

Street food and what to be careful about

• Choose busy stalls with a high turnover and food cooked in front of you.
• Drink bottled water and avoid raw salads and ice if your stomach is sensitive.
• Start with small portions, especially of rich dishes.
• Carry hand sanitiser and wet wipes.

Sweets and dry fruit

Phirni, a saffron rice pudding, and shufta, a dry-fruit dessert, are the traditional endings to a feast, and sweet fried breads appear at celebrations. Walnuts, almonds and apricots are sold everywhere, and saffron comes from the fields near Pampore. Buy from trusted shops and check the seal and the weight. Our handicrafts and shopping guide has tips.

Eating on the road

On long drives to Gulmarg, Pahalgam or Sonmarg, food stops are limited, so plan lunch in advance and carry snacks and water. Your driver knows reliable roadside places, and hotels can pack lunch on request. In the hills, kitchens close early, so eat dinner by eight or nine.

A day of eating in Srinagar

A good food day might start with bakery bread and kahwa, continue with a late lunch of rice and a meat or vegetable dish in a local restaurant, include tea and a pastry in the afternoon and end with a modest dinner at the hotel. Save the wazwan for one evening when you have an appetite and company. Between meals, walk, because Kashmiri food is rich and the cold makes everything taste better. Ask your driver or host where he eats; the best answers are usually small and local.

Eating with respect

Many Kashmiris fast during Ramadan, and restaurants may be quiet or closed by day in that month, with feasts at sunset. Meals are often shared and eaten by hand, and a guest is offered the best pieces; accept what you wish politely. Alcohol is not widely served and drinking in public is frowned upon, so ask your hotel about its rules. Dress modestly in home and shrine visits, and thank your hosts, which is always welcome.

Planning with us

We include meals in many packages and can arrange a wazwan evening, a bakery breakfast or a home-cooked meal where possible. Tell us about food needs and we plan around them.