North Indian food has been strongly influenced by Mughal cuisine and is broadly non-vegetarian characterised by the use of yoghurt, fried onions, nuts and saffron. Outstanding dishes worth trying would be biryani, gushtaba, tandoori dishes and kababs. Beef is rarely eaten in the North, since many Hindus consider the cow sacred. Pork, forbidden by Islam, is a rarity in areas with a substantial Muslim population.

Regal Repast

The Wazwan, a formal banquet in Kashmir, used to symbolize a feast for kings. Characterized by 36 courses, the real delicacies were the elaborately concocted meat preparations.