Travel alert: Head to Pahalgam this season to sample the indigenous Kalari cheese

Tourist town Pahalgam in Kashmir is adored for its beauty, serenity and the bustling markets but the picturesque town also offers surprise culinary delights that will leave food lovers in awe. For all the turophiles out there, Pahalgam is a must visit destination.

Home to a local cheese factory that creates traditional cheese Kalari from cow and goat's milk, a variety of Himalayan cheese can be found in this scenic town. The pastoral nomadic communities rare the cattle and provide this milk to the locals, who in turn make the mozzarella-like Kalari. Kalari, or Himalayan cheese, is the specialty in Pahalgam and the cheese factory here attracts tourists and also food connoisseurs from across the globe.

The cheese comes in unique like walnut, cumin, mustard and black pepper, and chilli to fenugreek. The other cheese dishes that are a must try in Pahalgam are milk chapati or maish krej. Chef Anil Kumar from the WelcomHotel Pine and Peak, said "Our most famous dish is the Kalari Kulcha, it's a cheese calzone in essence, except it's a lot more. Kalari has a unique salty flavour that when eaten with vegetables, enhances the taste massively leaving you wanting more. It can be used in other dishes too and is a staple for all us Kashmiris."