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- The magic, the charisma the eternal and nevertiring beauty of this valley, situated in lap of the Mighty Himalayan Mountains, make man admire, admire and admire nature to infinity.
- The Great gardens and lakes are enhanced in beauty with manmade care and houseboats and shikaras.
- The magnetic pull of this verdant land of snow covered peaks, meandering streams and gushing rivers, of lush greenery and flowers that are bursting with colour, has not ceased even with the strifes that have slashed across its bosom in recent years with human greed, cruelty and passions of hatred.
- Though the common people do live in constant fear from militants and army alike, they are simpleminded folks with simple lifestyles and habits.
- Life of Kashmiris is paradoxical in that the simplicity of their living and clothing is sharply contrasted with the richness of their crafts. Fine pashmina shawls of kashmir are considered to be heirlooms, the world over.
- The magical beauty of the carpets woven by them and enthralling admirers globally, contrast with the simple flooring style, layering to keep warm. The breathtaking beauty of the walnut wood carved furniture and artefacts are also contrasted by the absence of furniture in the home of an average Kashmiri. Dining and seating is on the floor where dastarkhans are spread.
- Coming to Kashmiri food, though climatically dominated, the people are non vegetarians, the dividing line between the hindu and muslim cuisine here is, interestingly, garlic. Hindus shun garlic as much as the Muslims use it. Otherwise the vegetarian staple of both is rice, and wheat which is mainly used for baking delicious breads like girdas, kulchas, sachvarus, sheermals, etc. They are very fond of carrot halwa ('refer sweets').
- Vegetables are grown in innovatively adapted floating islands, which are made by piling reeds, mud, thatch, etc. Mint, cucumbers, assorted melons, are grown cleverly. An abundance of carrots, beetroots, radishes, interesting greens like chives, onions, kohlrabi (kashmiris use the leaves too) and the ever popular nedar or lotus root provide the vegetarian part of their diet. The Kashmiri red chilli is famous for it zing and colour.
- Saffron, which is rare all over the world and the fine stamens that end up as the saffron threads, which eventually become worth their weight in gold (almost) is grown here in abundance.
- Fruits like apples, cherries, pomegranates, lichees, are famed for the succulence and taste.
- A very interesting sight in the summers is the floating market which gathers over the dal lake where the farmers sell their harvests from their boats.
- Preparing for winter is also an interesting sight to see. Every house has every available space used to hang strings of vegetables which are either thickly sliced or bunched or slit, as the case may be. Tomatoes, turnips, greens, roots, onions, chillies, and what not, are strung to dry.
- The spicing agent is verr, which are thin crisp chapatilike rounds, which are dried and strung and used bit by bit as required. These are made by pounding together onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, and other spices and patted to dry in shade.
- Kashmiri tea is brewed first thing in the morning in samovars, which are special kettles come carcoal holders to make boiling water for the tea. Tea leaves are then added, with a dash of maybe saffron , cardamom or sugar. This brew is drunk piping hot accompanied with sumptuous breads. The samovar is kept going all day long.
- Though the access to vegetarian Kashmiri cuisine has been limited, I have made sincere attempts to present the best I could, so here goes and enjoy the flavours different from the daily grind.
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