Srinagar - The Food Haven of Kashmir
Srinagar is a painter’s delight. A picture-perfect landscape dotted with lakes, mountains, bridges, houseboats, flower gardens that could light up any board of white canvass, Srinagar is the largest city of Jammu and Kashmir. A city that sees a confluence of religious shrines, vintage bazaars which sell composite cultural motifs that makes it so unique in itself.
Srinagar is also home to some of the most iconic tourist attractions in Srinagar including the Dal Lake, Mughal Gardens, Pari Mahal and the wooden bridges across the Jhelum. There are Sufi shrines to explore and marvel at the beauty of Asia’s biggest Tulip garden that flowers in Srinagar, along with trekking, bird watching and shopping.
Also Read : History of Srinagar
But what is it really about Srinagar that a traveller could do differently?
It is definitely the Kashmiri cuisine hunting and hopping that is mixed with eclectic cultural elements that have flourished in Srinagar for a long time.
It is not just the Kashmiri Wazwan that is most typically associated with the cuisine but there are a plethora of other options to try when in Srinagar. An unknown fact about the Kashmiris is that they love their daily bread.
And, the bread is not just of one kind but more than 10 varieties of bread are part of the local cuisine. Some of them are breakfast breads like Girda, Ghyev czhot (ghee bread), lavasa, katlam, chochwar, shirmal and many more. And most of these can be eaten raw or with an accompaniment of tea or the Kashmiri Kahwa.
Must Read: What to Eat in Srinagar?
As is rightly said, the best way to experience a culture is through its food and what better way to explore Srinagar than its local food. From ‘Masala Tchot’ – Kashmiri bread stuffed with boiled chickpea paste and spicy radish chutney outside university campuses and markets to walnut fudges made of honey, walnuts, dates, and the Tibetan food platter - the varied food platter across Srinagar has a lot to offer.
There are also a wide variety of vegetable dishes to try apart from the better known non-vegetarian icons like ‘Tuji’ and ‘Rogan josh’. The ‘Haaq saag’ and ‘Nadru Palak’ are staple Kashmiri leafy greens that are both simple and delicious dishes which are also highly nutritious.
And, if greens are not your thing, one can also try the ‘Nadru Yakni’( lotus stem in yoghurt sauce) to savour those vegetarian taste buds.
So the next time you are in Srinagar, apart from travelling and enjoying the colourful panoramas it has to offer, be sure to try out the lip-smacking Kashmiri cuisine that is so perfectly blended with the diverse food culture that blooms there.
And, the best part of the Srinagar food is that the platter has so much to offer that everyone will have a favourite (dish, tea, bread or dessert) by the end of their travel food journey there.
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