Kashmir is famous for its cultivation of many sought after fruits and dry fruits, especially almonds and walnuts. The region grows hundreds of varieties of delicious Apples, juicy Pears including famous Nakh and Bagogasha varieties, luscious Apricots, Plums, Peaches and Cherries. Among other fruits, yellow and red Crab-apples, Loquats, Chestnuts, Nectarines, Quince, Grapes, Mulberries, Strawberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Black-Berries and many other wild-grown Berries are found here. Fruits, naturally, form a good part of Kashmiri diet and many are also cooked into delectable dishes. All this produce is seasonal, yet every season offers the best!

Famous Foods:

Wazwan is Kashmir's most formal meal: a ritual serving for every guest to sample every dish in the host’s kitchen. A Wazwan is not a simple meal but a ceremony. Hours of cooking and days of planning go into the making and serving of a wazwan. Normally restricted to occasions of celebration at homes, a wazwan experience includes 36 courses. Traditionally, Kashmiri food is served in Thali’s without any cutlery; most people enjoy eating their meal by hand.

Kashmiri Muslim Cuisine:

Kashmiri cuisine evolved in the Valley over the course of time and absorbed some of the delectable elements of Mughal cuisine. This influence is most evident in Kashmiri Muslim cuisine, where the meat dishes are both hearty and fragrant.

Typical dishes include:
•	Safed kokur or zafraan kokur: chicken marinated in yoghurt and cooked over slow fire.
•	Maithi Maaz: a delicious gravy dish made with lamb and fenugreek or methi leaves.
•	Rista: delicate meatballs cooked in a light curry made with cockscomb flower or ‘moaval’.
•	Rogan josh: robust and flavoursome mutton curry, red and fiery.
•	Dhaniwal Korma: a mutton curry cooked in a coriander based gravy.
•	Aloo Bukhaar: a chutney made with fresh plums, onions, sugar, lime juice and spices.
•	Tabak Maaz: a spicy, fried dish of lamb ribs in a light gravy.
•	Daniwal korma: lamb cooked gently in a yogurt-based gravy.
•	Aab gosht: Lamb curry cooked in milk and select spices.
•	Marcha-wangan korma: a very spicy lamb korma, simmered in chillies.
•	Sheekh kabab: spicy ground lamb cooked on skewers over hot coals.
•	Gushtaba: Chopped lamb cooked with spices in oil, milk and curds.
•	Vegetable preparations: like lotus stem kofta, lotus stem curry, a variety of ‘saag’s’ or cooked greens, methi baigan (aubergines/brinjals with fenugreek leaves).
•	Saffron pulao: flavoursome and very fragrant, this bright yellow pulao brings out the best in Kashmiri food.
•	Phirni: a traditional Kashmiri dessert, made with basmati rice and whole cream milk, enriched with the dry fruits of the region.
•	Kahwah: tea flavoured with saffron, cardamom and almonds.

Kashmiri Hindu Cuisine:

Kashmiri Pandit food is also very elaborate and combines all the offerings of the region. The food includes a lot of yoghurt, oils & spices like saffron, turmeric, asafoetida, but avoids onion, garlic and tomatoes. An equal emphasis is laid on vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, although a bias for non-vegetarian dishes certainly exists - Pandits, despite being Brahmans, tend to be meat eaters too.

Typical vegetarian dishes include:
•	Ladyar Chaman: paneer cooked in turmeric gravy.
•	Veth chaman: paneer cooked in ghee and Kashmiri spices.
•	Dama oluv: the well known, spicy and tangy ‘dum aloo’.
•	Nadeir yakhean: a milk based gravy made with lotus stem.
•	Hak: karam ka saag, a staple gravy of leafy greens.
•	Ganth Gobhi typically a staple green vegetable cooked in mustard oil.
•	Nadier palak: a stew of lotus stem and spinach.
•	Razmah gogji: rajma or kidney beans cooked in a spicy tomato gravy.
•	Khatte Baigan or Vangun: Tangy preparation made without onion and garlic and special spices.
•	Tahar: Specially made on festival occasions and birthdays. They are typically yellow rice prepared by adding haldi, mustard oil and salt.
•	Var: Special preparation made during special festival or marriage functions. Veg Var: Prepared by adding rice, ghee, walnuts, zeera and salt. Non veg Var:  Prepared by adding rice with meat pieces, ghee,walnuts,  salt and zeera.
Typical non-vegetarian dishes are similar to Muslim dishes, but vary in taste due to the lack of onions and garlic.
•	Rogan josh
•	Yakhein: lamb cooked in spices and milk.
•	Gaad: Fish cooked with Nadur or lotus stem and raddish.
•	Gushtaba: Chopped lamb cooked with spices in oil, milk and curds.

Aniseed: Anise is sweet and very aromatic, distinguished by its liquorice-like flavour. The seeds, whole or ground, are used in a wide variety of regional and ethnic confectioneries and savoury preparations.

Asafoetida: Asafoetida has a very strong, pungent smell and the flavour mellows as it is fried in oil. When cooked, it has a truffle-like flavour and a roasted garlic aroma.

Cinnamon: This is the dried inner stem bark of Cinnamomum Verum, an evergreen tree. It gives a dish a very rich flavour and is an essential ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine. Cinnamon is used to flavour a variety of foods, from confections to curries and is extensively used throughout the state.

Cardamom: Cardamom has well established culinary values and is used in a wide range of savouries and sweets. It is an important ingredient of ‘Garam Masala’ and acts as a mouth-freshener after meals too.

Fennel Seeds: Fennel seeds are used in food extensively in both sweet and savoury preparations. It is one of the most important spices in Kashmiri Pandit and Gujarati cooking and essential ingredient of the Assamese/Bengali/Oriya spice mixture panch phoron.

Saffron: Saffron contributes a luminous yellow-orange colouring to foods. It is a very expensive ingredient and adds a lot of flavour and fragrance to a dish.

Brinjals: 'Vangun' or Brinjal is usually served as a tangy and spicy side dish in Kashmiri homes. It is almost like a pickled accompaniment and this vegetable also makes an appearance as one of the vegetarian preparations of a Wazwan.

Ganth Gobhi : This is Knol Knol or Kohlrabi, known as 'Ganth Gobhi', a hearty winter vegetables, a special delicacy in places like Jammu & Kashmir. Ganth Gobhi is prepared with mustard oil, green chillies, hing and salt. It is traditionally served with boiled rice.

Karam Ka Saag: or 'Hak' in Kashmir, is a daily must and is eaten with Plain Rice, throughout the year. It is a green leafy vegetable, and is a great source of Vitamins and Minerals in their diet. Even in Feasts, 'Hak' is always served. Whole leaves are boiled in water, with a little Mustard oil, whole Red Kashmiri Chillies, and Salt, and then sprinkled with a little 'Vari Masala'.

Lotus Stem (Nadru): Lotus stem is an off white coloured stalk that is the stem of the lotus flower and flourished under water. It has hollow air cubicles within. It has a mild sweet flavour and is relished for its taste and nutritional value. It is widely grown in Jammu & Kashmir and a staple of the cuisine of that region.

Shalgum (Gogji): Prepared with delicate spices and added with variety of preparation like gogji, Nadru gogji, Rajmah gogji.

Nun Chai (Shir Chai)

Nun chai is a common breakfast tea in Kashmiri households and is taken with breads like baqerkhani brought fresh from the bakers (kandur). Often, this tea is served in large Samovars. This is a slightly pinkish, salted tea called nun chai (or shir chai). It is made with black tea, cardamom, various spices, milk, salt and bicarbonate of soda. The peculiar colour of the tea is a result of its unique method of preparation and the addition of soda.

Kahwah (Kashmiri Green Tea)

As Kashmir is really famous for variety of Tea like one of most popular one is Kahwah, made by special leaves. It is made typically without milk, elachi, cinnamon powder (dalchini powder) is added to boiling water after adding the leaves. Leaves are boiled till a light golden colour and cup in which Kahwah is served, is garnished with a pinch of cardamom powder and 1 teaspoon of crushed or shredded almonds.

LOTUS STEM YAKHINI		KASHMIRI TANGY BRINJAL (Tsok waangum)		CHICKEN YAKHINI
Lotus Stems cooked in yakhini, white gravy made with curd as a base.		Tangy, spicy kashmiri style fried brinjals.		Traditional Kashmiri chicken recipe cooked with dahi and a variety of dry spices.
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MARZAWAGAN KORMA
A spicy lamb dish from Kashmir cooked with the red puree of Kashmiri chillies and served on special occasions.
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