Culture and cuisine

A cookbook that provides a glimpse of Kashmir's culture.

THIS is much more than a guide to the culinary art of Kashmir. It provides a glimpse of Kashmir's culture, of which its cuisine is an authentic and prized part. The author, a Kashmiri Pandit, has set exacting standards for herself.

She has, besides, a connoisseur family's tastebuds to satisfy: to mention only two, her husband, M.K. Razdan, himself a Kashmiri Pandit and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Press Trust of India (PTI), and their daughter, Nidhi, an able senior anchor of NDTV who stands out for her rejection of the loud, shrill manner most anchors adopt. Nidhi speaks Kashmiri fluently.

The author has travelled a good deal with her husband on his postings in London and New York and entertained distinguished guests.

Some Kashmiri Pandits are vegetarian. They do not even eat onions or tomatoes and are known as Dal Bathas. The vast majority are non-vegetarians, like most Kashmiris, and are known as Nen Bathas. They, the author writes, also offer meat to please the gods Some Kashmiris cooked non-vegetarian food the day after the puja ( salaam) as on this day, their Muslim friends would come to greet them and enjoy their festivities.

The style is simple and the recipes are easy to follow. The reader is instructed in the basic preparations and provided useful tips on preparation and preservation. The ver (spice cake) varies and its secret is handed down by mother to daughter and guarded jealously. The ones sold in the markets of Srinagar must be avoided. There are whole sections on snacks, lamb, chicken and fish, vegetarian food, rice and bread, chutneys and pickles, and desserts. For the timid, the last chapter has some 20 low calorie recipes. The recipes are easy to follow. The coloured illustrations provide a glimpse of Kashmir's breathtaking beauty.

As one puts down the book one is filled with regret that so vibrant and gifted a community has had to live out of Kashmir for two decades. The return of Kashmiri Pandits to their hearths and homes with dignity and security is more than a political duty. It is a moral imperative, as much as satisfying the Kashmiris' aspirations for self-rule is.