Origin of Kalari (aut. Kaladi) Cheese: A Cultural and Nomadic Journey of Jammu & Kashmir

Introduction

Kalari aka kaladi is a traditional hard, fermented cheese from Jammu, made from buffalo milk.
Traditionally associated with the pastoral communities of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Gujjar-Bakarwal groups. It is a traditional milk-based product that has long been part of the mountain food culture and is now widely popular as a fried delicacy in the Jammu region.

Its origin is deeply connected to nomadic lifestyles, seasonal migration, and cultural exchange between different pastoral communities.

Nomadic Roots and Early Food Traditions

Among the Gujjar-Bakarwal communities, dairy based food products were essential due to their nomadic way of life. Milk had to be preserved in simple, portable forms during long seasonal migrations.

One such traditional preparation is locally referred to as Mash kresh/Maish Krej (as mentioned in oral narratives), a milk based preparation that was used by Bakarwals.

Maish Krej

A Tale of Migration

A popular oral narrative explains that different branches of the same pastoral families carried this Maish Krej, and milk based traditions into different regions.

In Kashmir, seasonal migration and trade routes helped it become popular in Kashmir overtime as maish kerj only.

In Jammu, especially in hilly and pastoral regions, it was still not popular until Gaddis 

Cultural Exchange Between Gujjar-Bakarwals and Gaddi Communities

In the upper regions of Bani and Bilawar many Gala(passes) and routes leading toward Ramnagar and Basantgarh, nomadic communities often crossed paths.

Two major pastoral groups in these regions were:
Gujjar-Bakarwals (primarily Muslim pastoral nomads) and Gaddi shepherds (a Hindu pastoral community, primarily found in HP and part of J&K which borders HP, including Bani and Billawar).

During seasonal migration, these groups interacted, exchanging food knowledge, livestock practices, and cultural traditions.

The best explanations come from here where the Gujjar-Bakarwal and Gaddi shared Maish krej and Churpi(cheese made by Gaddi people), from their knowledge of recipes and ways of preparation led to the formation of today's modern term Kalari.

Gaddi learned how to make maish krej from Bakarwals and made it uniquely in their own way.

A Gala in Upper Kathua

Role of Settlement and Cultural Identity

As time passed, the pastoral communities left their nomadic practice.

The Bakarwals that left their nomadic practise became Gujjars

The Gaddi people had it different way they settled in the Ramnagar–Kulwanta–Dudu belt from the upper Kathua region. Slowly, many Gaddis left their traditional nomadic practice and adopted the Dogra term as an umbrella identity for themselves due to increased Dogri usage and stronger cultural influence after settling in the Dogra belt. Many then started selling Kalari.

Slowly, the Gaddis, who had become Dogra, had inter-community marriages, and the method of preparation gradually spread to many Dogras.Some of them became Shah (a rich person in a village), and slowly and steadily, it became part of a broader Dogra identity. 

After that, with the commercialization of Kalari, the demand for milk increased significantly. Local shopkeepers making Kaladi had to become dependent on Gujjars for milk supply.

This marks the journey of Kaladi, a product not of a single place, but of movement, exchange, and adaptation. From the upper Kathua region, especially Bani and Billawar to Ramnagar, a modern core hub of the Kalari tradition due to its proximity to upper Kathua. This proximity played a crucial role in shaping and sustaining Kaladi as part of the regions shared cultural identity.