Srinagar- Famous delicacies from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including Nadur Kebab, Haakh, Phaymer and Kahwa, featured at a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for Swiss President Guy Parmelin at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
The curated dinner, hosted for Parmelin and his wife Caroline Parmelin on Monday, showcased distinctive ingredients and culinary traditions from the two Union Territories.
The menu featured sea buckthorn, apricot, wild nettle, yak cheese and barley from Ladakh, while saffron, morels, lotus stem and fragrant spices from Kashmir and traditional sweets and street-food specialities from Jammu were also included.
The menu drew inspiration from the culinary traditions of the Himalayan regions, describing them as cuisines shaped by seasonal produce and the resources available in the mountainous terrain.
The dinner began with Za Thuk, a Ladakhi wild nettle soup with winter peas and roasted millet pearls, served with assorted breads. A Labo-Na Tsonma salad featuring Ladakhi Labo and Chhurpi, Jammu’s Kalari cheese, dried apple, walnuts and wild capers was also served.
Among the appetisers were Kimb Chaat, a Jammu street-food delicacy made with boiled taro root, sweet potatoes and rice flour crispies, and Nadur Kebab with Dooyn Chetin, featuring lotus stem patties seasoned with Kashmiri spices and served with walnut chutney.
The main course included Haakh, seasoned collard greens cooked with mustard oil and asafoetida, along with Dum Oluv, Kana Gucch Pulao made with Kashmiri morels and whole spices, Mujj Chatin, Sheermal and Katlam breads.
Desserts included Shufta, made with dry dates, cashew nuts, raisins and coconut, and Phaymer, a Ladakhi preparation of roasted barley, jaggery and butter served with Chura soft cheese.
Guests were also served Kahwa, the traditional Kashmiri tea flavoured with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron, along with Gur Gur Chai, the traditional Ladakhi butter tea, and wild rose tea.
In her banquet speech, Murmu said there were greater opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investment between India and Switzerland following implementation of the India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement.
She described Switzerland as an important trade and investment partner for India and welcomed Parmelin to the country.
India and Switzerland on Monday signed a migration and mobility partnership pact, while agreeing to expand Swiss market access for Indian exports and deepen cooperation in nuclear energy and defence.
Parmelin began his three-day visit to India on Monday. It is his first State visit to the country and his second visit this year after attending the AI Impact Summit in February.
