Ghulam Mohammad Dar, a 60-year-old man in Indian administered Kashmir, units up his cart each morning to promote dried greens domestically often called Hokh Suen, drawing many shoppers in the course of the winter.
As Kashmir witnesses early winters, with some elements receiving snowfall as early because the latter half of October, the continual sub-zero temperatures have spurred demand for dried greens within the markets of the area.
“It sells like hot cakes during winters,” stated Dar, who has been on this business for the final 23 years.
The follow of drying greens in the course of the summer season and consuming them in the course of the winter in Kashmir has been an age-old custom as harsh winters within the area would usually result in shortages of meals provides.
“Almost every household in Kashmir was involved in this practice,” Kashmir’s famous poet and author Zareef Ahmad Zareef informed Anadolu.
However, he stated with trendy instances, this follow has pale away, notably in city areas.
“In most households in Kashmir, people used to have garlands of turnips, peppers, quince and other varieties of vegetables hanging outside their walls, and it was a sight to watch for,” he stated.
Cultural consultants say that with the appearance of recent provide chains and use of meals know-how, folks residing in city areas of Kashmir have someway misplaced curiosity within the follow of drying and storing totally different meals.
TRADITIONAL PRACTICE
Earlier, principally ladies within the Kashmir area would pluck recent greens from their kitchen backyard or purchase them from the market to organize totally different sorts of sun-dried greens.
These included tomatoes, peppers, bottle gourds, brinjal, turnips, dandelion greens, quince, fenugreek, lotus stem, mint leaves, Iberian knapweed and plenty of wild herbs.
The course of was to scrub the greens first after which slice them into cylindrical or spherical shapes.
“Either it was put on wooden trays or threaded into garlands, like in the case of turnips and peppers, and then dried out in the sunlight,” Zareef recalled.
After retaining them in daylight for just a few weeks, the dried meals was saved both in sacks or in material.
DEMAND
In Kashmir, dried greens are being bought at totally different market locations to maintain up with the demand and provide.
Though folks in city areas are much less concerned on this follow, demand has not decreased in any respect, in response to sellers.
Aftab Ahmad, a shopkeeper at Zaina Kadal market in Kashmir, stated they decide a lot of the inventory of dried greens from rural areas of Kashmir and promote it throughout winters.
He stated folks in rural areas nonetheless sustain with this follow as they’ve giant agricultural fields and contain themselves in it as an occupation.
He added that demand for this culinary custom has by no means decreased and it has stood the check of time regardless of increasing palates and trendy provide chains.
HEALTH AND RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE
In Kashmir, folks eat dried greens for well being advantages and attributable to spiritual beliefs.
Both Muslims and Kashmiri Hindus put together dishes of dried greens on totally different spiritual events.
It is believed that dried greens like Iberian knapweed are good for eyesight whereas dandelion is given to anemic sufferers and lactating moms as it’s wealthy in iron.
Star lotus is believed to be good for arthritis sufferers because it relieves the swelling of joints.
Dar says that day by day, he receives quite a few clients on the lookout for quite a lot of dried greens.
“We have been eating these dried vegetables and fish for many years now, and they are delicious and mouth-watering,” stated Afreena Gulzar, a buyer.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
