Kashmir’s road food items are mainly vegetarian and mainly unfamiliar

Some time back when filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri wrote a presumptuous tweet proposing the strategy of a vegetarian ‘wazwan’ — the traditional Kashmiri meat-based mostly meal — social media erupted in spontaneous protests. What an oxymoron, people today mentioned. The Twitter tempest petered out in a day, but the thought that prompted the tweet is an old and enduring one particular, and deeply rooted in the country’s food items politics.

The notion that the delicacies of Muslim Kashmiris — the supreme embodiment of “the other” — is a meaty monolith has been shaped primarily by cultural conditioning on the two sides of the socio-religious-culinary border. This is not to imply that Kashmiri food items is predominantly vegetarian or that wazwan is but the figment of a carnivore’s creativeness. The culinary grandeur of wazwan must certainly be experienced to be considered, but this multi-course food isn’t all there is to the Valley’s culinary heritage.

Among the good surprises in the region’s variegated gastronomic canvas is the road food items which, barring the craft barbeque meats, is primarily vegetarian, bordering on vegan. These dishes have managed to hold their personal inspite of the ubiquity of momos, golgappa and egg roll, and like native street eats the globe around, converse to the region’s unique meals heritage.

From masala tsot, the greatest Kashmiri get ’n’ go meal that consists of a lavasa bread stuffed with mashed chickpeas generously slathered with a spicy chutney, to nadur monje (lotus stem fritters) or gaer monje (deep-fried drinking water chestnuts), and the jhal muri-reminiscent masala wari muth (extensive variety of indigenous beans and wheat berries boiled with salt and spices and topped with fried onions) which is served in paper cones, there is a plethora of snacks to decide on from. And just like everywhere else in the environment, these avenue food items stalls are located in loads in the vicinity of educational institutions, colleges, workplaces and nearby shrines.

For individuals with a sweet tooth, there is indulgence in the variety of the chewy basrak, a sort of deep-fried hollow pastry coated with sugar syrup and shangram, deep-fried nuggets of maida, semolina, milk, sugar and ghee. Whilst the latter is slightly lesser acknowledged and typically appreciated as a teatime snack in residences, basrak is the sweetmeat of decision for distinctive occasions and, in new situations, has observed iteration in plush bakeries, with the addition of high quality ingredients this kind of as khoya and nuts.

Now, many of these previous-time favourites evoke fond nostalgia in the ordinary Kashmiri. “Every day, while returning from university, we would each invest in a extra fat masala tsot for ₹5 and saunter together, getting bites off the wrap. Even now, I find no snack very as delectable, healthier and quick to consume as masala tsot,” suggests Bilal Ahmed Dar, a resident of downtown Srinagar. “Dishes like masala tsot and basrak evoke nostalgia as effectively as a perception of satisfaction in our Kashmiri identity,” suggests the 35-calendar year-aged businessman.

Even with the vast selection of nearby treats and their attractiveness among the the Valley’s inhabitants, these food items are however to turn into mainstream à la bhelpuri or aloo tikki. Kashmiris rarely wax eloquent about their indigenous delicacies preserve for the mutton-dominated wazwan feast.

“We are a society driven by classism and nowhere is this more apparent than in our mindset in direction of our street food items,” suggests Owais Ashraf, a 27-12 months-outdated regulation university student and resident of Budgam. “Despite their acceptance, these road eats stay far more or a lot less confined to bazaars up coming to shrines or occupied marketplaces. Taking in these ‘cheap’ items is looked down on. It is this deep collective reluctance to possess our food stuff heritage that has led to quite a few road foods languishing in anonymity,” he states.

Consciousness essential

Though the authorities has in recent occasions experimented with to encourage Kashmiri street food stuff as component of its tourism initiatives, people say much more proactive methods are wanted. “To get started with, avenue food items can be provided in the menu of federal government-run dining establishments, and foods kiosks can be established up at cultural festivals. The authorities could also invite food stuff bloggers and influencers to sample and advertise Kashmir’s avenue foods. Food writers and critics have to create literature on the Valley’s food stuff scene to assist with consciousness,” says Mohd. Azhar Abbas, 29, a Srinagar-based mostly entrepreneur related with the hospitality and tourism sector.

Apparently, big figures of domestic travelers who check out Kashmir count completely on ‘Vaishno Dhabas’, the Valley’s generic non-A/C eating places that serve all-vegetarian North Indian fare. In undertaking so, they skip out on area gastronomic ordeals that are an integral element of journey. According to Abbas, non-public tour operators and journey agencies can make a change by incorporating road food stuff tours in vacationer itineraries.

“Wazwan isn’t all we eat, and it absolutely is not all we have to be happy of,” claims Dar with 50 percent a smile and a glint of pleasure in his eyes.

The author is a total-time ruminator and component-time freelancer.