Kashmir food

Food tips you can trust

Why the cuisine of
Kashmir is special

It is the home of the elaborate wazwan wedding feast - and complexly seasoned dishes like Roghan Josh.

Famous Kashmir
food specialties

Wazan -
The Kashmiri wedding feast

I had the good fortune to experience a wazwan. It takes a day or longer to prepare the dozens of distinct dishes (mostly meat based) for up to hundreds of guests.

Groups of four diners each sit on the floor and eat with their fingers. The foursome shares the food on a large communal platter called a trami, which holds meats set around a heaping mound of rice. Several rounds of meat dishes are served, each different. The traditional final meat is the Gustaba, a tennis ball-sized meatball made from spicy, well-pounded lamb.

Roghan Josh

The most celebrated dish of Kashmir. Mutton chunks become tender and acquire a glistening thick reddish coating as they are braised for hours in a curried liquid rich in yogurt, almonds, chili, and toasted spices.