Rista, rogan josh, gushtaba and the trami - how a Kashmiri feast is actually served, and how to eat it.
Wazwan is the ceremonial multi-course meal of Kashmir, cooked by a team of wazas under a head chef called the vasta waza. A full wazwan can run to 36 courses; most travellers will meet a shortened seven to fifteen course version.
The trami
Four people share one large copper platter called a trami, heaped with rice and ringed with the first courses. Hands are washed at the table from a copper jug - the tash-t-naari - passed between guests. You eat with your right hand.
The dishes to know
Rista - minced mutton balls in a red gravy of Kashmiri chilli. Rogan josh - the famous slow-cooked lamb, coloured by alkanet root rather than by heat. Tabak maaz - ribs simmered in milk then fried crisp. Aab gosht - lamb in a milk and fennel gravy. Gushtaba - pounded mutton in a yoghurt gravy, always the final course. When gushtaba arrives, the meal is over.
Where to try it
Ahdoos and Mughal Darbar on Residency Road in Srinagar both serve a reliable short wazwan. For the real thing, ask us - we can arrange a home-hosted wazwan with a waza cooking on site, which needs about three days notice.
For vegetarians
Wazwan is overwhelmingly meat. The Kashmiri Pandit vegetarian tradition is a separate and equally good cuisine - ask for nadru yakhni, dum aloo and haak.
