Kashmiri Wazwan

Wazwan is the formal banquet of the Kashmir valley, cooked by wazas, hereditary chefs working under a vasta waza, over wood fires in enormous copper vessels, traditionally through the night before a wedding. It runs to dozens of courses, mostly mutton, served on a large copper platter called a trami shared by four people who eat with their hands after washing at a passed basin. The set pieces are rista, meatballs in a red gravy; gushtaba, pounded meat in yoghurt, served last; tabak maaz, ribs fried in ghee; and rogan josh. Meat for rista and gushtaba is pounded by hand rather than minced.

What you actually see

• The trami - a shared copper platter for four, eaten with the hands.
• Gushtaba and rista - pounded meatballs in yoghurt and in red gravy.
• Tabak maaz - ribs simmered then fried in ghee.
• The wazas - hereditary chefs cooking over wood in copper vessels.

When to go

Year-round; the full wazwan belongs to weddings, mostly in autumn and winter. Restaurants in Srinagar serve shortened versions, and pre-ordering a full one is possible for groups.

Honest expectations

This is overwhelmingly a meat meal with almost no vegetarian element. Portions are enormous and the sequence long. Restaurant versions are much reduced from the real thing.

Nearby

Srinagar and Dal Lake are the usual base.