𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞

Srinagar, June 15: While traditional Kashmiri cuisine continues to grace local kitchens and dining tables, experts warn that its soul and health benefits are fading due to modern cooking methods and processed ingredients.

Dishes like haakh, nadru yakhni, rista, and rogan josh still remain staples, but rapid lifestyles and reliance on kitchen gadgets—such as microwaves, rice cookers, pressure cookers, and non-stick cookware—have drastically altered how these foods are prepared, diminishing their nutritional and healing properties.

“Traditional cooking techniques, such as slow-cooking over firewood, once infused food with both flavor and wellness,” says Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad Wani. “But today’s shortcuts are stripping our food of its medicinal qualities and contributing to rising health concerns like obesity, diabetes, and hormonal imbalance.”

The use of pressure cookers, for instance, while time-saving, destroys heat-sensitive vitamins, changing the very nature of age-old recipes like yakhni. Likewise, electric rice cookers retain starch, increasing the glycemic load of rice, and microwaving leftovers in plastic containers releases harmful chemicals like BPA.

Even iconic bread varieties—girda, tchot, and lawasa—have suffered. Once fermented naturally and baked in traditional kandur ovens, they are now mass-produced with baking soda and processed maida, reducing fiber content and digestive benefits.

Other concerns raised include the unsafe use of plastic containers for hot food, boiling water in electric kettles, and reheating tea multiple times—all of which potentially introduce toxins or destroy beneficial compounds in food and beverages.

“Convenience must not come at the cost of our health,” Dr. Wani emphasized. He advocates for a balanced approach—incorporating modern tools judiciously while preserving the core of traditional cooking. “The goal is not to reject progress but to blend it with ancestral wisdom to reclaim the essence of our food.”

Dr. Wani concludes that mindful cooking—using steel or iron cookware, avoiding plastic, and reviving slow-cooking techniques—can restore Kashmiri food to its former vitality, making it not just a source of sustenance but a means of healing and cultural identity.