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Delhi hosts a rare Kashmiri food festival
New
Delhi: Once regarded as heavy, oily and fattening, the Kashmiri food
is fast becoming a rage in New Delhi. A fortnight-long food festival at
an upmarket hotel is attracting people from many places to taste the delicious
Kashmiri cuisine. Upen Anand, Assistant Manager of Radisson, said the
festival mainly targeted the Kashmiri migrant community in New Delhi.
"The main idea for doing the Kashmiri food festival in Delhi was that
there is a lot of Kashmiri migrant community which stays in Delhi. First
of all we have to target them and plus there are not many places where
authentic Kashmiri food is available in Delhi. And also since this is
the right time as winter was about to finish, so we wanted to promote
Kashmiri food as it is very hot and very rich so we wanted to give people
the idea as to what Kashmiri food is all about," said Anand. The platter,
priced at less than $ 9, is available in 36 courses, out of which 15-30
are preparations of meat and mutton. From kebabs to safed murg or white
meat to lamb delicacies cooked in exotic spices, many varities of vegetarian
and non-vegetarian dishes have been spread out for the guests. The hotel's
chef said the festival has a mix of traditional Kashmiri Hindu and Muslim
cuisine. "We have a mix of the Kashmiri Muslim and Hindu food... its completely
traditional here," said Vakil Ahmed. People downed the tasty morsels with
thorough enjoyment. "It's very good...I am a vegetarian and they had a
lot of dishes for the vegetarians also. It was very good food and I enjoyed
it," said Amit Shah, a consumer. The history of modern Kashmiri cuisine
can be traced to the 15th century invasion of India by Timur, and the
migration of 1700 skilled woodcarvers, weavers, architects, calligraphers
and cooks from Samarkand to the valley of Kashmir. The descendants of
these cooks, the Wazas, are the master chefs of Kashmir.
-Feb 29, 2004
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