Moving beyond the geopolitical identity of Kargil, Yash Saxena, author, Stories From A Kargili Kitchen took a rapt audience through the culture of food and identity of the region as a part of The Hindu Lit For Life Unplugged X Zhouyu Hosts on Friday evening in Chennai. 

In conversation with restaurateur Sandesh Reddy, Yash delved into his four-year journey of living in Kargil, and spending time with the communities there to learn about their food histories.

“Kargil today has seven different ethnicities around four religions. Despite the fact that this is a difficult region to have a vast diversity of ingredients compared to many other parts of India, every community in Kargil does something different with the ingredients available to them, which is why there is such a unique diversity of food there,” Yash said.

Speaking about how it was common for people to associate Kashmir and Kargil cuisine as similar, Yash said that Kargili cuisine was actually characterised by not being oil or masala heavy, how foraging was an important part of their food culture,the uniqueness of the apricots there, and that meat was often a luxury. “Something I observed in my time there was how the Public Distribution System which has homogenised food across the country, has also had an impact in Ladakh and the indigenous cuisine of the region,” Yash said.

He further spoke about the need for outsiders to engage with Kargil in a responsible way. “While interacting with a region, be it through travel or tourism, the smallest gestures matter. The attention and appreciation gives power back to the region,” Yash added.

The talk was followed by a five-course Ladakhi meal by Chef Nilza Wangmo of Alchi Kitchen, with ingredients such as turtle beans, yak cheese, juniper berries which she had carried for the occasion from Ladakh.

Published - August 14, 2026 10:28 pm IST