`A recipe with soul’: Homemade Harissa takes Kashmir by storm; over 5000 orders delivered every month

Srinagar: Homemade Harissa has taken Kashmir by storm this winter,

Gatoes, a food delivery service,  has delivered almost 5000 orders of homemade Harissa every month in Srinagar.

New-age female foodpreneurs are tying up with food delivery services to reach out to a maximum number of customers. These foodpreneurs prepare various delicacies in their kitchens and sell them through food delivery services.

Harissa has topped the list of the delicacies that have been ordered from people this winter.

Jibran Gulzar, the founder of Gatoes, told The Kashmir Monitor that they delivered almost 5000 orders of Harissa every month in Srinagar.

“Every morning we get more than 150 orders of Harissa from people. The fascinating fact is that every customer orders in the range of Rs 1000- Rs 5000. It shows how much people love Harissa in Kashmir,” he said.

Gulzar said homemade Harissa is preferred over popular restaurants or eateries in Kashmir.

 “This winter, we ran a campaign to promote our female entrepreneurs who made this delicacy. It proved successful as customers preferred to buy homemade Harissa. These entrepreneurs did a seven-digit business every month,” he said.

Gatoes said the highest order of Harissa worth Rs 34,647 was placed by a single customer in Srinagar this winter.

The reason behind the preference for homemade Harissa, he said, was the authenticity of the delicacy and curiosity of customers.

 “The entrepreneurs claimed their Harissa was authentic and made with pure spices. We took very less commission from these entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses. Not only foodpreneurs but restaurants and Harrisa shops too had a good demand this winter, ” he said.

Apart from locals, tourists also ordered Harissa from various locations in Srinagar. “We observed that tourists, who were staying in hotels in Sonwar and Boulevard, liked this delicacy and ordered multiple times through our service,” Gulzar said.

He said the second most popular food in Kashmir this winter was momos. “Momos were also the most sought-after dish in Kashmir. It seems that momos have become a kind of staple diet for Kashmiris. In 2022 we delivered nearly 40,000 plates to customers in Srinagar. Butter chicken is also among the most preferred dish in Kashmir,” Gulzar said.