The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 22.4.2

22.4.2

If they sow peas, they give a crop the first year, in the second they are inferior, and in the third year they are like mushang. Rice is the principal crop. Probably there are three parts under rice and one under all other grains. The chief food of the people of Kashmir is rice, but it is inferior. They boil it fresh, and allow it to get cold, and then eat it, and call it hatha. It is not usual to take their food warm, but people of small means keep a portion of the batha for a night, and eat it next day. Salt is brought from India. It is not the custom to put salt into the batha. They boil vegetables in water, and throw in a little salt in order to alter the flavour, and then eat them along with the batha. Those who want to have something tasty put a little walnut-oil into the vegetables. Walnut-oil soon becomes bitter and evil-flavoured. They also use cow-oil (raughan—i.e., ghi), but this is taken fresh, and fresh from newly-made butter (masha). They throw this into the food, and call it "sada-pak" in the Kashmiri language. As the atmosphere is cold and damp, it becomes altered by being kept for three or four days. There are no buffaloes, and the cattle are small and inferior. The wheat is small and of little substance (kam maghz). It is not the custom to eat bread (nan). There are tailless sheep, resembling the kohl (or gaddl) of India. They are called handu, and their flesh is not without flavour. Fowls, geese, and ducks (murghabi)—golden and others—are plentiful.