Kashmir stores dried food for harsh winters to maintain culinary tradition

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu & Kashmir (AA) - Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a 60-year-old man in Indian administered Kashmir, sets up his cart every morning to sell dried vegetables locally known as Hokh Suen, drawing many customers during the winter.

As Kashmir witnesses early winters, with some parts receiving snowfall as early as the latter half of October, the continuous sub-zero temperatures have spurred demand for dried vegetables in the markets of the region.

“It sells like hot cakes during winters,” said Dar, who has been in this business for the last 23 years.

The practice of drying vegetables during the summer and consuming them during the winter in Kashmir has been an age-old tradition as harsh winters in the region would often lead to shortages of food supplies.

“Almost every household in Kashmir was involved in this practice,” Kashmir’s noted poet and writer Zareef Ahmad Zareef told Anadolu.

However, he said with modern times, this practice has faded away, particularly in urban areas.

“In most households in Kashmir, people used to have garlands of turnips, peppers, quince and other varieties of vegetables hanging outside their walls, and it was a sight to watch for,” he said.

Cultural experts say that with the advent of modern supply chains and use of food technology, people living in urban areas of Kashmir have somehow lost interest in the practice of drying and storing different foods.

- Traditional practice

Earlier, mostly women in the Kashmir region would pluck fresh vegetables from their kitchen garden or buy them from the market to prepare different kinds of sun-dried vegetables.

These included tomatoes, peppers, bottle gourds, brinjal, turnips, dandelion greens, quince, fenugreek, lotus stem, mint leaves, Iberian knapweed and many wild herbs.

The process was to wash the vegetables first and then slice them into cylindrical or round shapes.

“Either it was put on wooden trays or threaded into garlands, like in the case of turnips and peppers, and then dried out in the sunlight,” Zareef recalled.

After keeping them in sunlight for a few weeks, the dried food was stored either in sacks or in cloth.

- Demand

In Kashmir, dried vegetables are being sold at different market places to keep up with the demand and supply.

Though people in urban areas are less involved in this practice, demand has not decreased at all, according to sellers.

Aftab Ahmad, a shopkeeper at Zaina Kadal market in Kashmir, said they pick most of the stock of dried vegetables from rural areas of Kashmir and sell it during winters.

He said people in rural areas still keep up with this practice as they have large agricultural fields and involve themselves in it as an occupation.

He added that demand for this culinary tradition has never decreased and it has stood the test of time despite expanding palates and modern supply chains.

- Health and religious significance

In Kashmir, people consume dried vegetables for health benefits and due to religious beliefs.

Both Muslims and Kashmiri Hindus prepare dishes of dried vegetables on different religious occasions.

It is believed that dried vegetables like Iberian knapweed are good for eyesight while dandelion is given to anemic patients and lactating mothers as it is rich in iron.

Star lotus is believed to be good for arthritis patients as it relieves the swelling of joints.

Dar says that every day, he receives a number of customers looking for a variety of dried vegetables.

“We have been eating these dried vegetables and fish for many years now, and they are delicious and mouth-watering,” said Afreena Gulzar, a customer.