The state of Jammu and Kashmir is not only a paradise for the tourists and the travelers but also a heaven for the food lovers. The state has a unique cuisine somewhat different form the northern Indian cuisines. If non-vegetarian food dominates the Jammu and Kashmir region then on the other side in the Ladakh region, where the majority of the population are the peace loving Buddhist people the vegetarian diet prevails. The staple food however in the entire region is rice. The grandeur in the food comes to the sight when it comes to the festivals in the state. The Kashmiri half uses lots of the spices in its delicacies where as the Ladhaki people prefer the steamed and the boiled type of the food.
The non vegetarian cuisines
Coming to the non vegetarian food in the state we have got a huge list of the preparations from the meat. Here in the province of Jammu and Kashmir almost every second day the people include the meat in their diet. During the grand feast of Wazan a total of about 30 different non- vegetarian dishes are prepared. The chefs who cook the delicacies are called the Wazas who are the famed chefs from across the region and have inherited the great styles and the secrets of cooking from their ancestors who at one time were the proud chefs of the Wazan. During this time there is a lot of experimentation with the food and one can find during this time a variety of the same food and mind it that every variant tastes better than the original one.
The Rista or the meatballs that are smashed to tiny pieces and then rolled and cooked in the gravy are the main highlight of the Wazan. On the other side are the seikh kabaabs, the tabak maz ate another mouth watering crispy bites for the foodies. Apart from these the dishes served here are the Rogan josh; which is a lamb meat cooked in gravy, yakhni; lamb cooked in gravy with curd, goshtaba, Syoon Olav etc. and the list is still delicious as it goes on and on.
The vegetarian cuisine
The non vegetarian side however is not much diversified as the non-vegetarian dishes but one can find a few non vegetarian dishes that can be considered a distinguishing cuisine that marks the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The famous of them is the Dum Aloo; which is a steamed bowl of potatoes cooked with spices, the Lyodoor Tschaman, a Cottage Cheese which is cooked in creamy turmeric based gravy and is popular not only in Kashmir but throughout the country, the Raazma-Gogji etc.
In Ladakh there is a lot in the vegetarian dishes. The famous thing here is the salty butter tea and the other famous dish is the Tsampa which is roasted ground barley flour,Tsampa, Pava,Khambir, steamed momos etc.
In the sweet dishes from the Kashmir region are the famous Fireen, the snacks as the Sheermal and Baqerkhani keep the taste affair going on.
When it comes to food the Kashmir cuisines are a pride on the Indian menu table that serves real gourmet stuff to your food table.
