Utterly butterly delicious: Meet 70-year-old man who sells organic Kashmir butter wrapped in Chinar leaves

Srinagar: Have you tasted pure and organic Kashmiri butter? Do you know it is wrapped in Chinar leaves when sold? 

If the answer is no, you should pay a visit to the white marbled Hazratbal shrine on the banks of Dal Lake on Fridays. 

For the past 30 years, Ali Mohammad Bhat has been selling homemade butter near ‘Gate Number 8’ at Dargah, Hazratbal every Friday. People from all across the Valley buy the organic butter from Bhat that is sold in Chinar leaves. 

Though the sale of organic Kashmiri butter wrapped in Chinar leaves was common in the yesteryears, it is now sold only by a few and not to be found everywhere. 

“I have been selling homemade butter for the past 30 years at Dargah. I sell it only on Fridays. It takes me one week to prepare this organic butter. I sell it for Rs. 200 a kilogram. I always wrap it in Chinar leaves as it keeps the butter fresh. Not many have the patience to make this butter nowadays. It is our family business and my brother sells it too,” said Bhat. 

Popular food blogger Omar Rather of ‘KashmirFoodGram’ fame said pure and organic butter of this kind was rare to find and its serving style was ‘great’. 

“It is homemade, pure, and organic butter as it has a distinct smell and taste. Its serving style is great and different and then he (Bhat) cuts it with a natural thread process. In the yesteryears, Kashmiri butter was found everywhere but now it is hard to find. And he wraps it in Chinar leaves. It is a sight to behold! Tourists from all over go to South Indian states to check out food served or wrapped in banana and coconut leaves…we too need to keep our traditions alive,” he said. 

He said the organic butter was nutritious and had medicinal value too. 

“Besides eating, this butter has health benefits and also has medicinal value. It does not have salt and women in the yesteryears would use it to nourish hair. It is also good for chapped lips. Unfortunately, our younger generation does not know much about Kashmiri butter,” said Omar.