Wazwan, the elaborate meal with 10 mutton dishes, has emerged as the most loved flavour of the tourist season in the Kashmir Valley this year, which saw the highest ever tourist footfall of over two million.
Bhavyesh Moopan, a motorcyclist from Kerala, drove all the way to Srinagar to relish an authentic wazwan this month. Mr. Moopan, along with 14 of his friends from south India, got past a labyrinth of narrow alleys in Srinagar’s old city to reach Wazpora, the oldest colony of traditional cooks called waza.
“We enjoyed the food, especially kebab and tabakh maaz (ribs cooked in ghee on slow burning firewood on a wide copper plate). It was an experience to see the sequence of dishes laid before us. We were supposed to consume all the dishes in one go. It was a challenge too!” Mr. Moopan, an engineer by profession, said.
Wazpora, like many parts of the old city, remained out of bounds for tourists for many years as it turned into a site for pitched battles between local youths and security forces, especially after Friday prayers. The historic Jamia Masjid is situated close to the area. But Wazpora’s tag of being a hub for militancy is waning now. Curious visitors are now putting Wazpora on the tourist map for the first time.
Only mutton from lamb and sheep are used in a wazwan, which is typically relished by four people squatting on the four sides of a trami, a large, wide copper plate.
The famous J.J. Foods is known to serve such a traditional wazwan. “I started a wazwan takeaway during the COVID pandemic as an experiment. With local and tourist footfalls increasing, Wazpora is home to nine such eateries now. My restaurant can serve wazwan to 23 people simultaneously. Tourists really like the wazwan dishes,” Umar Qadir, a software engineer and owner of J.J. Foods, said.
Mr. Qadir’s ancestors were wazas. “The new generation is switching to other professions given the respect shown towards us in the society,” he rued. However, wazwan eateries are turning this perception around. “In the months of May and June, tourists visited us on a daily basis. A tourist from Goa recently sent his relative to get wazwan packed from JJ Foods. Many tourists had fed their GPS (global positioning system) our label to have food here. We are being recommended by tourists to others. That’s the appeal of the wazwan now,” Mr. Qadir said.
Downtown Srinagar being a hub of craft and art, Mr. Qadir hopes tourists in search of the authentic wazwan will also benefit other businesses in the area. “Most handicrafts are produced in the old city. A tourist will be amazed to see the process and buy authentic items. I am hopeful that the wazwan will help tourism spin-off to others too,” he said.
Wazwans became central to Kashmiri weddings during the Sultanate period, particularly during the reign of the eighth Sultan, Zain-ul-Abidin, who ruled from 1418 to 1470. “Kashmir attained affluence during Zain-ul-Abidin’s rule. Wazpora was also established during this rule, and the wazwan as a fast-paced wedding meal became central to Kashmiri identity,” well-known author and poet Zareef Ahmad Zareef told The Hindu.
Mr. Zareef said the culture of four people eating from one copper plate helped fight class divides. “ Wazwan also symbolises brotherhood and sharing,” he said.
Now gaining popularity among tourists, widely-known wazwan dishes are receiving an unprecedented fillip. According to J&K Tourism data, 20.49 lakh tourists, including 3.65 lakh pilgrims, have visited Kashmir this year so far. It was in 2013 that around 13 lakh tourists came to Kashmir, setting a record of sorts. Now, the 2022 figures are an all-time high.
