Page 36 - seniors today november 2020
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established and were greatly influenced by downtown Srinagar areas the availability
the spice trade. of a certain Waza determines the dates
of the wedding. The training is given by
Origins of Wazwan word of mouth to the next generation and
There are a few theories to the origin of the there is hardly any authentic cookbook of
“Wazwan” but the most well propounded standard preparations. Each Waza would
and plausible is that in the 15th century, have his own secret ingredient or recipe. My
the Mongol invader Timur brought this father told me that it was only once that he
to Kashmir. During his time a lot of arts had attended a Wazwan with 36 dishes. I
and artisans moved from Samarkand to have not been to a feast with more than 16
Kashmir and that seems to the origins of main dishes. Of course, there are several
the “Wazas”– the master chefs in Kashmir. accompaniments to aid digestion of such
However there is no denying that the heavy dishes, mostly chutneys made with
Wazwan as we know today has some onion, walnuts, radish etc. which are served
Iranian, Afghani and some Central Asian in small pots and are not considered as
cooking methods. The flavours and the dishes but sheer accompaniments.
mouthwatering dishes of the complete feast
make it a meal fit for Royalty. Wazwan Honing the art
consists of multi-course meals with a few The main ingredient of the Wazwan is
vegetarian and mostly non-vegetarian mutton (pounded, specific cuts, ribs) and
dishes (predominantly mutton dishes). dexterity of the Wazas lies in using different
The expensive feast is now served mostly spices like saffron, dried fruits, flowers and
at Kashmiri weddings, important religious accompaniments like fried onions, milk,
ceremonies and some hotel-organised food yogurt, and many other traditional but local
festivals. Some say that the original feast flavours to cook it in. This is the art of the
consisted of 52 dishes, making it extremely Waza and has now acquired a distinctive
expensive and difficult to prepare. A Vasta Kashmiri art form.
(head) Waza may have a few under-training Wazwan does not contain non vegetarian
Wazas but it is unheard of to have two dishes only and the notable vegetarian
head Wazas preparing a feast. In fact in dishes include my absolute favourite Nadr
or Nadru (lotus stems) cooked in a yakhni
Gushtaba
or with the local spinach – Haaq. This big
leafy vegetable is absolutely delectable and
acts as a perfect foil to the “heavy mutton”
dishes. Of course there is a “tamatar
tschaman” a tomato-curry-based paneer
dish which too is delicious.
Wazwan is definitely an art form. Each
Waza grinds or uses his own bought
spices, dry fruits, masalas and definitely
supervises the cutting of the mutton in
pieces suitable for each dish at the butcher
Gushtaba Pic Courtesy: Hamiast itself. It is the red Kashmiri chilies and
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