Noon Chai: People’s beverage in Kashmir

How modern gadgets take salt out of this popular tea, Imtiyaz Pandow finds out 

SRINAGAR: Every soothing dawn with peppy feelings after having a full night comfort the people of Kashmir would not enjoy the day without sipping a cup of Noon Chai (Salt Tea).

Noon Chai is considered as one among the famous beverages served in Kashmir signifying the Kashmiri tradition throughout the world. It is the kind of tea prepared with milk, water and salt after adding a nip of baking soda to color this beverage as pink and make it a fetching and lovesome drink.

The beverages like Samovar cooked Noon Chai and Kehwa has made Kashmir not only the destination for tourists but also proved a best place for the good food lovers.

People know this drink with several names like Sheer Chai, Gulabi Chai or Pink Tea and Kashir Chai.

From preparation to sipping, the taste of this beverage varies. There was a time when people from every nook and corner of the valley were enjoying its sip after preparing it in Samovar (a copper container used to prepare and serve the tea in Kashmir) but the modern cooking gadgets has now left this beverage tasteless.

“The adorable is to have a cup of this beverage with Kashmiri Tchot (bread) and Tsot (grinded powder of maize or rice) after prepared in Samovar,” stated Mohammad Ramzan (77).

While recounting the past, Zeba, an old lady with a wrinkled face expressed, “I still remember the taste of Noon Chai which I was serving to a family comprising of 10 members with a number of 2-3 cups each.” Adding further, she stated, it was the ‘miracle of Samovar’ to make this chai mouthwatering and the patience only to cook it for hours.

The rite of sipping Samovar cooked Noon Chai was famous for its taste and color. The unfortunate is that newer generations have lost this bailiwick forever due to rapid growth of modernization and its inclusion in Kashmiri culture.

The presence of modern gadgets has shifted the Kashmiri minds choose alternatives for the preparation of faux Noon Chai that has disguised the identity of real Noon Chai. The Noon Chai requires much time for its preparation and make it enough tastier after having the constant heat of coals inside Samovar.

Zeba pointed out, “the inclusion of modern gadgets and laziness among people is the sole reason that people witness the tasteless Noon chai”. She added the younger generations are using the alternatives to expense less efforts and time to prepare the food so it is obvious that people are not enjoying such taste in any food.

Some Kashmiris still prefers to sip a cup of Samovar Chai but in real the culture of Samovar is at its dying fate. At this juncture every household in Kashmir possess at least one Samovar but is limited to decorate the kitchens only.  It is not far when people will see only the decorum of Samovar and read its tale in books only.

“The mass usage of alternative methods like flasks and electric gadgets has proved futile in making this beverage tasteful,” believes Jana Begum (80)

While narrating Jana said, nowadays flasks and other electrical devices are very common and most preferable as of taking least efforts and time to prepare this beverage that ensue Noon Chai now a tasteless drink.

It would not be wondrous to say that ‘Noon Chai without Samovar is like the life without soul’, states Abdul Samad, a coppersmith. Moreover he added, “I sell Samovars much more as my forebears were selling, but the vigor of using these Samovars is at is vanishing fate.”

In old times the brides were gifted with decorated Samovars in order to use it serving the Noon Chai at her in-laws, at this juncture the trend of gifting Samovars to brides is still reverberating in Kashmiri tradition but seems useless as Samovars are now limited for decorations only.

Undoubtedly, Samovar was the inimitable decorum of marriage ceremonies and all other important functions in Kashmir but the future generations have lost the vitality of this exquisite asset forever.