Nadru, a delicacy found on the table of every Kashmiri home

Zubair Qureshi

Srinagar, Sep 1 (IANS) While their lifestyle and choice of clothing make the people of Kashmir Valley unique, Kashmiri food also has a distinct identity.

Kashmiri Wazwan is already world famous, and along with it another favourite food of the Kashmiris is 'Nadru' or lotus stem. This delicacy prepared from the root of the lotus flower can be found on the table of every Kashmiri home.

Nadru is cooked with meat and fish as well as dal yakhni, spinach etc. Another beautiful dish known as Nadru Monj is prepared by mixing the vegetable with besan and then frying it in oil.

Cultivation of Nadru is done in the three big lakes of the Valley -- Dal, Wular and Anchar. It is also a source of employment for many people.

In the winter season, farmers face a lot of difficulties in cultivating Nadru in the frozen water of the lakes, as they have to go deep into the water to extract the vegetable. However, some modern methods, including special type of clothing to protect them from the freezing water, have made this difficult task a little easier, informed a farmer named Ghulam Rasool.

Expert experience is needed to harvest Nadru from the lakes, otherwise it can become a disaster for the farmer. Farmers go out in their boats early in the morning and spend hours in the lakes in search of this vegetable.

One of the common complaints of the farmers is that the price they get for their harvest isn't enough, but with time things are changing and the farmers are hoping their incomes will increase as well.