The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 22.4.1

22.4.1

There was a tree in the Shahr-ara garden at Kabul, called MlTzd%, better fruit than which I had not eaten, but in Kashmir there are trees equal to this in the gardens. There are pears (Thdshfdtl) of the best kind, better than those of Kabul, or Badakhshan, and nearly equal to those of Samarkand. The apples of Kashmir are celebrated for their goodness. The guavas (amrud) are middling. Grapes are plentiful, but most of them are harsh and inferior, and the pomegranates are not worth much. Water-melons of the best kind can be obtained. The melons are very sweet and creased, (? shiJcananda), but for the most part when they become ripe a worm is found in them that spoils them. If by chance they are preserved from this misfortune they are very delicate. There are no shah-tut (some kind of large mulberry), but there are other (tut) mulberries everywhere. From the foot of every mulberry-tree a vine-creeper grows up. In fact, the mulberries of Kashmir are not fit to eat, with the exception of some on trees grown in gardens, but the leaves are used to feed the silkworm. They bring the silkworms’ eggs from Gilgit and Tibet. There is plenty of wine and vinegar, but the wine is sour and inferior, and in the Kashmir language is called mas. After they take cups of it some heat of head ensues. They make various pickles with the vinegar. As the garlic of Kashmir is good, the best pickle is that of garlic. There are all kinds of crops except peas.