Food Souvenir – Kahwa, The Flavour of Kashmir

I tasted Kahwa first time in on a cold winter day in March 2013. It was my first visit to Kashmir. I was invited by the Khyber Resorts in Gulamrg. There was at least 5 feet of snow in Gulmarg at that time. I was quite cold by the time I arrived at the hotel. As a welcome drink they served us Kahwa. The aroma has stayed with me even now.

Kahwa is the local Kashmiri tea. I am not good at cooking so don’t ask me for the recipe. It is a tea without milk. It has saffron and almond flakes in it. It tastes heavenly and its aroma is out of this world. At Khyber they used to make it without sugar too. As I drink a lot of tea and I do very little exercise I have given up on sugar in my tea. Kahwa tastes good even without sugar. After drinking it for a few days I promised myself that I would carry the Kahwa mix back home. But then I had a very early morning flight and in the process I forgot to buy the mix.

I went back to Kashmir (this time with Kashmir Tourism) in June 2014. Right at the airport, when we went to the Kashmir Tourism Office, they served us Kahwa. I was renewing my love affair with this delicious tea!

 

This time I also made sure that I brought the mix back home. I also got it as a gift for a few friends. With seasoned travelers it was an instant hit as it reminded them of their time in Kashmir. With friends who tried it for the first time, it was a novelty. Either way, I could not go wrong with Kahwa as a gift. As I am writing these words, I did my web check-in for the flight to Srinagar. Tomorrow, I am revisiting Khyber and I am so looking forward to having the authentic Kahwa again!

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Mridula Dwivedi is an academic from India who is passionate about trekking and travelling. A personal favorite, read her travel stories on her blog Travel tales from India.

If you would like to send in a food souvenir post from one of your travels, please write to me at info@maps-stamps-memories.com.

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Read about Stroopwafels from The Netherlands here.

14 Comments

  • Reply
    VJ Sharma
    September 6, 2014 at 9:05 am

    My first Kahwa experience was very bad. I tasted it in Pir Ki Gali and didn't really like. Later on, it became part of our daily routine while stayed in SriNagar. Liked going through your blog-post.

  • Reply
    Paramvir Singh
    September 6, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    Kahwa is an acquired taste, I guess. Kashmir has a lot of undiscovered (for us non-Kashmiris) tastes…

  • Reply
    Chaitali Patel
    September 6, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    Thanks for sharing your experience! It really is an acquired taste!

  • Reply
    Chaitali Patel
    September 6, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    How true Paramvir! Thanks for dropping by!

  • Reply
    Indrani
    September 7, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    That is interesting.
    Never had this drink before.

  • Reply
    Chaitali Patel
    September 9, 2014 at 5:57 am

    Add this to your list of things to do / try in Kashmir! :)

  • Reply
    Mridula
    September 9, 2014 at 6:18 am

    πŸ˜€ Good to see this on your blog πŸ˜€

  • Reply
    Chaitali Patel
    September 9, 2014 at 10:11 am

    :) thanks Mridula!!!

  • Reply
    ladyfi
    September 12, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    Sounds delicious and welcoming.

  • Reply
    Chaitali Patel
    September 15, 2014 at 4:58 am

    It sure is! Thanks for dropping by!

  • Reply
    Rajesh
    September 16, 2014 at 4:37 am

    I have heard of this lot. I am yet to taste this.

  • Reply
    Haddock
    November 4, 2014 at 9:36 am

    We have a Kashmiri friend who stays close by. Whenever we go to her house, she makes the Khawa tea for us. Its is simply wonderful.

  • Reply
    Chaitali Patel
    November 5, 2014 at 11:38 am

    Thanks for dropping by Haddock! You are lucky you have a Kashmiri friend who makes Kahwa for you!

  • Reply
    Ubed Shaikh
    January 5, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    Had Kahwa once… Liked it…..

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