WAZWANWAZWAN translates to mean an elaborate spread of 36 dishes, and is typically eaten by Kashmiris on special occasions. Hours go into preparing the food, and the meats are pounded till they are at their soft and succulent best. It’s hard to imagine anyone eating this more than once or twice a year; that’s how heavy and satisfying it is. Comprising of different courses, the meal is finally rounded of with phirni for dessert and a hot steaming cup of kahwa to help you digest it all. Food Gali at Lal Chowk and Shamyana Restaurant serve the most authentic wazwan in the city.
Nishat Garden
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Kashmir Valley Destinations
Vernag Spring and Mughal Garden- A fresh water spring and a Mughal garden next to it, spring is chief source of Jhelum River.
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Cultural HistoryThe Culture of Kashmir is a diverse blend and highly influenced by northern South Asian, Persian as well as Central Asian culture. Along with its scenic beauty, Kashmir is famous for its cultural heritage; it amalgamates Hindu, Sikh, & Muslim and Buddhist philosophies and has involved composite culture based on the values of humanism and tolerance which is collectively known as Kashmiriyat.[1] Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh each have their own distinct culture.
One of the most important parts of the cultural identity of the Kashmiri people is the Kashmiri (Koshur) language. This language is spoken only in the Valley of Kashmir by the Kashmiri Hindus and Kashmiri Muslims. Besides language, Wazwan and culture has been greatly influenced by Central Asian and Persian culture.The dishes are primarily meat based, spiced intricately and prepared by a team of cooks known as Waza's. The dishes range anywhere between 7 to 30 in number depending upon the occasion in question. Kashmiri is an Indo-Aryan (Dardic subgroup) language close to Avestan. Cultural music and dance like Wanvun, Roaff, carpet/shawl weaving |Kaleenbafi and Koshur Sufiana forms a very important part of Kashmiri identity. Kashmir has witnessed many spiritual gurus who migrated from their land to Kashmir. |