Courses and styles of service
Wazwan
The Kashmiri wedding feast: a long series of meat dishes cooked overnight by master cooks and served to groups of four on a shared platter.
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Wazwan is the ceremonial banquet of the Kashmir Valley. It is cooked by hereditary master chefs called wazas and is served at weddings and other great occasions. Most of the courses are lamb or mutton, each prepared in a different way, and they come in a fixed order over rice.
What it is
The name joins waza, a cook, and wan, a shop. A full wazwan is often said to have thirty-six courses, though most feasts serve fewer. A handful of dishes are essential. There are ribs fried in ghee, minced meat kebabs, red meatballs in a chilli gravy, lamb in a deep red sauce, lamb in a milk sauce, and chicken dishes. The last savoury course is always gushtaba, large pounded meatballs in a yoghurt gravy. Chutneys of walnut, radish and yoghurt cut the richness.
How it is cooked
The head cook, the vasta waza, arrives with a team the day before. Sheep are prepared according to Muslim practice, and each cut is assigned to its dish. The meat for the meatballs is pounded by hand with fat on a stone with a wooden mallet until smooth. The cooking is done outdoors through the night, in tinned copper pots over fires of fruit wood. The skill passes from father to son, and good wazas are booked months ahead for the wedding season.
How it works
Guests sit on the floor in groups of four around a large covered copper platter called a trami. Before the meal an attendant brings a jug and basin to each guest for washing hands. The platter arrives heaped with rice and topped with the first set of meats. Servers then walk the rows adding each new dish in turn. Everyone eats by hand from their own quarter of the plate. It is usual to take leftovers home in a bag provided by the host.
How to do it
- Wash your hands when the jug and basin reach you.
- Share the platter with three others. Eat from your own quarter.
- Mix rice with each gravy using your right hand.
- Use the chutneys and yoghurt to rest between meat courses.
- The yoghurt meatball marks the end. Stop there.
Good manners
- Wait for the platter to be uncovered and for a blessing before starting.
- Do not cross into another person's section of the platter.
- Refusing a course is fine. Wasting it is not.
What is eaten
Rogan joshKashmiri lamb or goat curry with a deep red sauce
KahwahA spiced green tea from Kashmir, often served with saffron and nutsAlso part of it, and being written: Goshtaab, Riste, Tabak maaz, Yahni, Dum aloo.
Sources and further reading
Original text by the Thali desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs vary from place to place. If we have something wrong, tell us.