We left Srinagar, our home, 26 years ago and moved to a contrasting landscape in Delhi and then we landed up in buzzing Mumbai. Yet, wherever we went, our traditions, especially our food, were always integral to our lifestyle. We got a chance last weekend, to relish the same flavours at Koshur Saal, a Kashmiri Pandit food festival, organised by ITC Maratha.

Few would be aware that Kashmiri cuisine has two variants, one that the Hindus from the valley consumed and the other, more popular cuisine, Wazwan, that the Muslims of the area prepared. Both cuisines, while presenting overlapping elements, have a few distinct features. The most important being that authentic Kashmiri Pandit cuisine doesn’t include onions and garlic, while Wazwan makes full use of these two ingredients.