Located along the Suru River, Kargil is a city often referred to in the context of conflict rather than food. My first and last visit to the place was in 2014; I was driving back from Leh to Srinagar with a group of friends, and we decided to stop for the night at a nondescript two-star hotel in Kargil. During dinner, the tension in the air was palpable. I can’t put a finger on what it was like but I remember feeling uncomfortable. The calm of the Suru River combined with the unsettling air of suspicious looks from the locals still stays with me today.
Cut to February 2026. I’m sitting in New Delhi with author Yash Saxena’s book, Stories from the Cargill kitchena book that very beautifully attempts to turn the lens on Kargil through its food, people, history and stories. When I remember my first sip of salted butter tea (Gur Gur Cha) more than a decade ago, I discover, anecdotally, little-known and wonderful recipes, ingredients and dishes from a land far away.
In twenty-eight chapters, Saxena records twenty-eight Kargili dishes and their recipes. The recipes are influenced by the state of the land, its topography, climate, and the political turmoil sweeping through every crevice. Cargill’s favorite fast food is Creative, a quick travel snack made with sattu that tastes “better than Snickers”; Bupot, a power-packed stew essential for the long winter months; Chanang, a festive lamb sausage dish prepared during the Tibetan/Husar New Year; The twelve pairs of ear-shaped azaqa (baked sweets from Baltistan) are sent to the girl’s home to seal the marriage proposal; Chang beer is brewed during the Aryan community’s annual harvest festival; and Phating, the ubiquitous, nutritious breakfast made from apricot trees in full bloom during midsummer.
Saxena also recounts glimpses into the historical lineages of people and their communities who have lived in the valley throughout the ages. Latu village, for example, which lies near the Line of Control and whose residents have seen nothing but unrest and displacement since the first war over Kashmir in 1947. Then there is Kharbo, a lush green haven below the Dras tehsil, which first succumbed to an avalanche in 1978, and later faced the wrath of Kargil war artillery fire; It is now a barren wasteland with few residents bothering to return after the evacuation.
While urban areas like mine thrive on the arrogant ease of instant door-to-door delivery of food and other items, Cargill relishes the slow process of purchasing and converting resources. Stories from the Cargill kitchen It is an important documentation of how one navigates battles and borders to preserve the sanctity of ancient foods cooked in ancient ways.
Stories from the Cargill kitchen
Written by Yash Saxena
Penguin Random House India
pp. 237, Rs. 999
