Bhuj (Kutch): As cold weather conditions gripped the Kutch region of Gujarat, Kashmiri vegetarian cuisine—especially traditional saffron kahwa—emerged as a major attraction at the five-day LLDC Winter Festival, which concluded in Bhuj on Sunday night.
With night temperatures dipping to around 9–10 degrees Celsius, visitors thronged the Kashmiri food stall, where saffron kahwa served in traditional copper samavaars witnessed particularly high demand. The Kashmiri culinary team was led by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, known for his work on sustainability, environment and cultural preservation.
The festival featured food stalls from across India, including Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, with noted chefs presenting regional cuisines alongside cultural performances.
The Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC), a prominent crafts museum and educational resource centre in Bhuj, was established a decade ago by the Shrujan Trust, run by the Shroff family, with the aim of preserving and promoting the traditional crafts of the Kutch region. The annual winter festival organised by LLDC celebrates India’s crafts, music, dance, food and folk traditions by bringing together master artisans and performers from across the country.
This year’s festival marked the completion of 10 years of LLDC’s establishment and was organised around the theme “Unity in Diversity”. Artisans, chefs and singers from various parts of India participated in the event, which attracted an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 visitors over five days.
Speaking about the response, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said the team prepared a mix of traditional dishes and innovative value-added recipes. “We introduced items like Rumah chaat, Chana badam chaat, Bamchoonth halwa (quince apple halwa), Rumah soup, Saffron Shahi Tukda and Saffron Akhroot Badam Ferni. These were especially appreciated as people in Kutch enjoy sweet flavours,” he said.
He added that saffron kahwa with dry fruits, served in copper samavaars, proved to be a standout attraction. “Almost 300 to 400 people enjoyed the kahwa over the last five days due to the cold weather,” he said.
Highlighting the diversity of Kashmiri cuisine, Dr Bhat said Kashmir has a rich vegetarian food tradition that often remains underrepresented. “Kashmir is known for non-vegetarian food, but our vegetarian cuisine is equally rich. Unfortunately, many restaurants serve Punjabi vegetarian food to tourists. Events like these help us showcase our authentic food culture, and I plan to bring out a detailed recipe book on Kashmiri vegetarian cuisine with culinary innovations,” he added.
Besides Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, the Kashmiri food stall team included Raashed Ashraf, Imran Khan Mutwa, Ramesh Mangeria, Rohit and Zakaria. Their efforts were widely appreciated by visitors and event organisers alike.
