Kashmiri Dry Fruit Names in English: A Kashmiri, Hindi & English Guide

Why Dry Fruit Names Get Confusing

The same dry fruit can go by three names in a Kashmiri kitchen: an English name on the packet, a Hindi or Urdu name at the market, and a Kashmiri name at home. Add a few nuts that are sold in Kashmir but not grown there, and it is easy to lose track. This guide lines the names up side by side.

Dry Fruit Names: English, Hindi and Kashmiri

A "—" means there is no traditional name in that language, usually because the fruit is not grown in the region and the English name is used as-is. Where we give no Kashmiri name, we have not been able to confirm one, so we have left it out rather than guess.

• Walnut — Hindi: akhrot · Kashmiri: doon
• Almond — Hindi: badam
• Dried apricot — Hindi/Urdu: khubani
• Saffron — Hindi: kesar · Kashmiri: kong
• Pistachio — Hindi: pista
• Cashew — Hindi: kaju · Kashmiri: —
• Pine nut — Hindi: chilgoza
• Pecan — Hindi: — · Kashmiri: —
• Brazil nut — Hindi: — · Kashmiri: —
• Flax seed — Hindi: alsi
• Chia seed — Hindi: — · Kashmiri: — (not the same as sabja; see how to tell them apart)
• Basil seed — Hindi: sabja / tukmaria

Khubani in English

Khubani is the Hindi and Urdu name for the apricot, and in the dry fruit trade it almost always means the dried apricot — the small, wrinkled, golden-to-brown fruit, often sold with the stone still inside. Apricots are grown across the region, and especially in Ladakh. See our dried apricots (khubani).

Which Dry Fruit Looks Like a Walnut?

The dry fruit most often mistaken for a walnut is the pecan. Its kernel has the same ridged, two-lobed look, but it is longer, smoother and sweeter, and the shell is thin, oval and glossy rather than round and rough. If you are holding a round, rough-shelled nut, it is a walnut; a smooth, oval, reddish-brown one is a pecan. Compare our walnuts in shell and pecans in shell, or read the full pecan vs walnut comparison.

Which Dry Fruits Actually Come From Kashmir?

Several dry fruits sold as "Kashmiri" are grown elsewhere, so it helps to know which are native to the valley and its neighbouring regions:

• Grown in Kashmir: walnuts, almonds (including the Mamra and Kagzi varieties), and saffron.
• Grown in the wider region: apricots, especially in Ladakh.
• Not grown in Kashmir: cashews, pistachios, pecans, Brazil nuts and California almonds. These are widely sold alongside Kashmiri produce, including by us, but they come from other parts of India or from abroad. Our guide to which dry fruits are grown in Kashmir has the full list and a harvest calendar.

Browse the full Kashmiri dry fruits collection.