Kashmiri cuisine has evolved over hundreds of years. The first major influence was the food of the Kashmiri Pandits, the Hindus of the valley. The cuisine was later strongly influenced by the cuisines of Central Asian, Persia and the North Indian plains. The most notable ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine is mutton.

Also to be noted are Balti curries, popular in the United Kingdom, that have spread from the Baltistan region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
 
Kashmiri Pandit food is very elaborate. The food usually uses a lot of yogurt, oils and spices such as turmeric, but avoids onion, garlic, tomatoes and chicken. Unlike Kashmiri Muslim cuisine, it does not include many minced meat dishes.

Typical Kashmiri dishes include rogan josh, kofta, pasanda and lamb cooked with methi (fenugreek).

One of the key differences between the cuisines of Kashmir and neighbouring Punjab is that the staple in Kashmiri cuisine is rice, whereas that in Punjabi cuisine is the chapati.