Kounsar Bashir/ Safoora Hilal
At a time when cuisines like Mughlai, Chinese, Japanese, continental, and western have dominated the markets of Kashmir, Fozia Rasool is fighting a battle to take Kashmiri cuisine to every household.
An engineering student from Srinagar, Fozia runs a food blog on Instagram and YouTube to “revive” Kashmiri cuisine and help Kashmiris living outside Jammu Kashmir to cook authentic Kashmiri food, prepared in every household in the valley,- celebrated globally.
What is a food blogger?
A food blogger is someone who blogs about food.
A food blog can be about recipes, the cuisine of different cultures, and reviews of restaurants. A food blog will almost always include pictures and photography of different foods and dishes that the author of the blog is writing about.
Fozia’s food blogging journey
Extremely fond of clicking photos and videography, Fozia joined the college in the year 2015 and everyone started to like the photos and videos she clicked.
During 2020’s Covid lockdown, Fozia started helping her mother with cooking and simultaneously started learning cooking from her. “My mother is related to the roots of Kashmir’s rich traditions. Although everything in our kitchen is modern, We have not given up our traditional Kashmiri equipment including the Kanz, Wokhul, Dagul,” Fozia said.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, Fozia said that her mother is her biggest inspiration. She taught her to never leave Kashmiri traditions. “My mother always taught us to remain intact with the Kashmiri culture, no matter how far we are!.”
In 2021, Fozia received her full fledged training from her mother and it was then that she decided to share the knowledge of cooking authentic Kashmiri food with others on Instagram and youtube.
“On 21 march 2021, I uploaded my first video on Youtube that was “Demin Yakhen” (Towel meat with curd) which really evoked a really good response. Almost after 2-3months my brother encouraged me to upload my videos to Instagram and Facebook also,” Fozia said with cheering smile and added, “Before uploading my content on Facebook and Instagram I had to first learn how to use the social media platforms.”
When Fozia started to learn new dishes from her mother she made up her mind that she should only do Kashmiri tradition/Kashmir-related things. With a plain intention to provide knowledge of Kashmiri cuisine/food, Fozia has been receiving a massive response on her social media accounts.
Fozia Rasool can be followed on Instagram here
She said that she does the pre-production, post production and the production all by herself. “I do the shooting, editing, and cooking and in a short amount of time, all on my own. Every video of mine receives great response because Kashmiris are fond of their rich cuisine and their culture. My growth on Instagram has increased and it was 44K in only 18 months,” Fozia told The Kashmiriyat.
Fozia’s blogging is not merely an output. She receives massive input as well and often finds people seeking help in her messaging. “I often get messages like ‘we connect with you more how you explain and teach just like a sister.’ I made it the strength that everything I do gives me a positive impact. I always got requests to make other things also- something other than Kashmiri cuisine,” Fozia said, reiterating that her focus is purely on Kashmiri cuisine.
Fozia has shared the process of making Harissa, which also is her favourite breakfast, she said. “Other than the common recipes and foods, I also focus on reviving forgotten delicacies from Kashmiri food. There is a delicacy called ‘Tosha’– as now it is only made in north Kashmir during some special occasions like ‘Niaz’ but in Central and south Kashmir most people don’t make it now, in fact youngsters in those parts of Kashmir do not know about it,” said the food blogger.
“When I shared the cooking process for Toshi, it was widely circulated in groups and in the Kashmir University groups. In a short while, it had 700k views likewise there is another delicacy called ‘Yajje’. I always try first and then upload my video to teach others,” said Fozia.
“Gandde Dood” (onion with milk) was cooked before but now no one cooks it, I also make innovations with some dishes like ‘Bamczunt tamatar’ (Quince apple with Tomato). Bamczunt is not usually cooked with tomato that is why I tried it and it did well,” Fozia said in conversation with The Kashmiriyat.
“Nothing seems difficult, because I love to do what I do, whether it is shooting, cooking. With my passion for photography I learned about camera angles and I don’t face any difficulties like camera block due to evaporation, I have learned everything on my own. I never got criticized for my cooking instead I get praised every time I post a video.”
Reiterating that, cooking was not a business for her, Fozia said, “As of now, Cooking is my passion, but to call it a business idea would be too early. Giving cooking classes for now is surely something I love to do for now, ” she said. Many people also message her about the food deliveries but she has snot decided yet. “I will keep this Kashmiri cuisine with me even if I pursue my job in engineering.”
Fozia said that whenever she makes any delicacy like Tosha or any sweet dish, she shares it with her neighbors, close relatives, and friends. Reaffirming her strong belief in the cause of reviving Kashmiri cuisine, Fozia said, “I don’t think Kashmiris have forgotten or can escape their culture/tradition, There might be a temporary escape, but it is not forgotten.”
There is a misnomer about some dishes that they take a lot of time to cook, but Fozia says she has simplified Kashmiri cooking. “People don’t have time to cook a dish like ‘Faer’ (roasted fish), it surely does take time, but it is not something we cook everyday,” said Fozia.
“When one becomes an influencer, it’s up to you to win the trust of the people and how do you influence them. When I begin to revive Kashmiri cuisine, it started creating an impact. On getting positive reviews, I thought I should only help people in good ways,” said Fozia.
Fozia told The Kashmiriyat that her family is her biggest support; they pushed her to continue what she does. “My friends also supported me and are always the first to cook my recipes. Even their moms praise that because of me my friends are cooking now,” she said.