Harissa, not to be confused with the hot red chilli pepper paste (another version is with rose petals) of Maghreb (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Libya), is a winter breakfast dish of Kashmir, perhaps more of just Srinagar. A few dozen harissa shops, mainly in old Srinagar, the downtown area or the Shehar-e-Khaas, begin a routine around October that lasts till March. This centuries-old delicacy is a must-have breakfast meal in the harsh winters of the valley.

Harissa came to Kashmir in the 14th century, and the Srinagar city has been serving it for over 200 years. It is said that eating harissa for breakfast keeps a person warm all through the day even in freezing temperatures and is believed to ward off many diseases related to cold climate.

read more: https://kashmirnewsline.net/how-the-rich-tradition-of-harissa-made-its-way-to-kashmir/