Cuisines
Cuisines of Rajasthan
Each region in India has its own traditional dishes and specialties. In the
royal kitchens of Rajasthan, as well as most other states, food was very serious
business and raised to the level of an art-form. Hundreds of cooks worked in the
stately palaces and kept their recipes a closely guarded secret. Some recipes
were passed on to their sons and the rest were lost for ever. It became a matter
of great prestige to serve unusual dishes to guests and the royal cooks were
encouraged to experiment. The tales of how cooks tried to impress their guests
by presenting at least one unforgettable item on the menu have now become
legends. The monthly budget ran into lakhs of rupees and the royal guests were
treated to such delicacies as stuffed camels, goats, pigs and peacocks... it was
perfectly normal to have live pigeons and other birds fly out of elaborately
decorated dishes. The food was served in gold and silver utensils and the number
of dishes at one meal ran into hundreds. It was usually never possible to taste
all the delicacies sewed.
The finest cooking in India was derived from the Mughals and did influence the
royal kitchens of India, as did European cooking. But the common mans kitchen
remained untouched, more so in Rajasthan. Cooking here has its own unique
flavour and the simplest, the most basic of ingredients go into the preparation
of most dishes.
Rajasthani cooking was influenced by the war-like lifestyle of its inhabitants
and the availability of ingredients in this region. Food that could last for
several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred, more out of
necessity than choice. Scarcity of water, fresh green vegetables have all had
their effect on the cooking. In the desert belt of Jaisalmer, Barmer and
Bikaner, cooks use the minimum of water and prefer, instead, to use more milk,
buttermilk and clarified butter. Dried lentils, beans from indigenous plants
like sarigri, ker, etc are liberally used. Gram flour is a major ingredient here
and is used to make some of the delicacies like khata, gatta ki sabzi, pakodi,
powdered lentils are used for mangodi, papad. Bajia and corn is used at! over
the state for preparations of rabdi, kheechdi, and rotis. Various chutneys are
made from locally available spices like turmeric, coriander, mint and garlic.
Perhaps the best known Rajasthani food is the combination of dal, bati and
churma but for the adventurous traveler, willing to experiment, there is a lot
of variety available. Besides spicy flavours, each region is distinguished by
its popular sweet Ladoos from Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, Malpuas from Pushkar,
Jalebies from most big cities, Rasogullas from Bikaner, Dil Jani from Udaipur,
Mishri Mawa and Ghevar from Jaipur, Sohan Haiwa from Ajmer, Mawa from Alwar.
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RAJASTHAN
CITY GUIDE
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Udaipur
Bikaner
Ajmer
Mount Abu
Bharatpur ABOUT RAJASTHAN
The History
Folk Music and Dances
Shopping
Cuisines
Arts and Crafts
Maps
Faces of Rajasthan CAR
RENTAL & HIRE
Car and Taxi Rental for Jaipur
and Rajasthan GENERAL
INFORMATION
Rajasthan City Guide
Rajasthan Tour Packages
Rajasthan Information
Useful Phrases
Passport and Visas
What to Pack
New Delhi Tour
Rajasthan Historic tour 10 days
Mewari Tour with Agra 7 days
Classic Golden Triangle tour 7 days
Rajasthan Wildlife Safari tour 6 days
Rajasthan Real Adventure 16 days
Rajasthan Tour with Agra 15 days
Jaipur city tour with Pushkar 4 days
Rajasthan Desert tour 7 days
Classic Desert tour 11 days
Jaipur city tour 3 days
Jaipur Tour
Rajasthan Tiger tour 6 days
Romantic Rajasthan tour 10 days
Mughal Triangle tour 6 days
Cultural Rajasthan tour 15 days
Jaipur city tour with Pushkar 4 days
Jaipur city tour 3 days
Magic of Rajasthan tour 15 days
Agra Tour
Rajasthan Kings tour 9 days
Rajasthan Treasure tour 7 days
Rajasthan Travel tour 14 days
Magical Golden Triangle tour 6 days
Rajasthan Package tour 12 days
Ahmedabad Tour
Ancient Rajasthan tour 15 days
Colors of Rajasthan 11 days
Jodhpur Tour
Classic Desert tour 11 days
Magical Rajasthan tour 10 days
Udaipur Tour
Palace tours of Rajasthan 11 days
Forts of Rajasthan tour 11 days
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