In its endeavor to attract tourists to the summer capital, Jammu and Kashmir government has started a campaign to promote its traditional street food.
J&K Tourism department has released a video ‘5 street foods you need to have if you are in Srinagar’ on its facebook page. The 2.15 minute video starts with morning shots of Downtown Srinagar and gradually captures five street foods in various areas in Srinagar. The street food include Halwe Paroth at Dargah, Nader Munje at Aali Kadal, Masala Czot at Hari Singh High Street, Harissa at Aali Kadal and Tujje at Khayam. The video already has over 35000 views and 625 shares in past nearly a week. “I wish one day I visited Kashmir. But I know it’s hard as a Pakistani American for me,” writes Waheeda Sohaib based in Edison, New Jersey on the Tourism department’s facebook page. “I want to eat all of this one day,” writes Gobinda Bose.
“We want to popularise street food of Srinagar. We are known for Wazwaan only, but Srinagar has many delicacies mostly traditional ones. We hope that this will attract tourists to visit these places and relish our unique street food,” said director Tourism Mehmood Ahmad Shah.
“Our street food video has received huge response mostly from Kashmir diaspora. Our aim is to promote unique aspects of Srinagar particularly Downtown. We are making videos on shrines and traditional bakery of Downtown,” Shah said.
Tourism department’s two videos last year on Seven bridges of Srinagar and Floating vegetable market of Dal Lake evoked tremendous response.
In view of drastic decline in tourist inflow to Srinagar since 2016 summer unrest, state government is making efforts to promote different facets of the summer capital.
Last year, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) organized ethnic food festival at Pahalgam and its Zaiqa Restaurant at Cheshmashahi here. JKTDC has also recently launched exclusive Harissa restaurant at Nehru Park here.
Secretary Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez, said the objective of promoting ethic and street food is to improve experience of tourists and generate employment opportunities.
Hafeez said that during the recent snow carnival in Gulmarg, there was good response of tourists to ethnic and street food of Kashmir. “Subsequently, we decided to launch a campaign to promote street food of Srinagar. Want to give live experience to tourists about of street food and culture,” Hafeez said adding more food festivals will be organized in various areas of Kashmir in next six months.