Turkish ice cream lures people in Indian-administered Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – Two friends from Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, have introduced traditional Turkish ice cream to the region.

Aabid Naseer, a computer science student, and Moeen Ayub, a medical student, have brought a taste of Türkiye by opening an outlet in Srinagar. 

They are overwhelmed by the response.

“I am totally amazed by the response. Everyone is coming, from children to their grandparents,” an excited Naseer told Anadolu.

He explained that the idea took shape when the duo heard that a Turkish ice cream brand called Turquoise was looking for franchisees.

He said there was a risk associated with the project as “this kind of business model is very new to Kashmir.”

“Also, people hardly know about Turkish ice cream here. But we gave it a try and we are really grateful to see people are loving it,” said Naseer.

Turquoise first opened its doors in India in 2016, brought over by Turkish national Sahin Ozturk. It has several outlets all over India, as well as other countries such as Thailand and Bangladesh.

According to the brand’s story, their ice cream originated some 400 years ago in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, widely known as the ice cream capital of Türkiye.

The flavors on offer right now are vanilla, mango, chocolate, strawberry and blueberry, but Naseer said they are focused on “bringing in more variety.”

Though it is still early days for their business, the response has given Naseer and Ayub the encouragement to dream of expanding to other areas.

“Places like Gulmarg, Pahalgam or the Dal Lake, they all have so many tourists. I believe it can be a huge success,” said Naseer.

The ice cream is made using a special technique that involves spinning it in the air and playing with it, which attracts people of all ages.