The Cuisine of Rajasthan

A short summary presented by AES Food Services

Rajasthan is a rather large state of India, located in the north-western area bordering Pakistan.

It is mostly desert area & therefore the cuisine that has evolved there has its own peculiarities.

Rajasthan has large districts, many of which are quite different from one

another. Udaipur, Jaipur, Bikaner to name 3 of them,

have totally different styles of food. This is because of the influence of other cultures, • some were invaded by the Mughals, • some had alliances with the British, • some have a population of more types of one

people, be it the Brahmins, the Rajputs, Jats or the traders.

Mostly however, geographical considerations are the main reasons why food is eaten the way it is here.

As you see in this food picture, there are very little green vegetables available in this region due to a severe lack of water.

By and large, Rajasthani food is quite spicy due to the hot weather, as it wards off infection and dehydration.

There are a large number of snacks available too , often eaten along rather than before a meal, & these are mostly made of ground chickpea flour.

Chutneys & pickles are used widely instead of vegetables.

Dals (pulses) are used in plenty, dried green beans & peas are stored for usage later on.

Many of the curry dishes use milk, buttermilk & plenty of clarified butter (ghee) instead of water.

Since there were many kings & rulers in the state of Rajasthan, they developed many techniques of cooking meat, often barbecued in the open where they hunted the animals. This type of royal cuisine can still be had at many of the better hotels.

Some of the items that are used a lot are: • mango powder, • corn, and • bajra (millets, a type of grain).Frankly, for a state that only grows a handful of

items, Rajasthan has in fact developed an amazing and exotic cuisine, which is mostly high-protein and low-fat.

The Marwari cuisine of the business-class is an exception, as it is very rich in content.

The universal favorites from Rajasthan seem to be

‘Dal-baati’ (lentil curry with wheat dough balls roasted in hot coals)

&

‘choorma’ (dry, flaky, wheat bread crumb pudding garnished with raisins and almonds).

These are food items that could be carried for days in the hot desert climate by warriors.

Baatis could be buried in the hot desert sands and slowly baked till required.

Dal - batti

Choorma

Dry, flaky, wheat bread crumb pudding garnished with raisins and almonds.

Rajasthan is known for its tough people and tough food. The common man’s food has hardly changed over the years and even now it can last for several days and can be eaten without heating.

• As an interesting end to this short explanation on the cuisine of this region, to say that Rajasthanis have a sweet-tooth is an understatement !

• Sweet dishes are not even referred to as 'dessert' , because unlike desserts which are had after a meal, here they are had before, during and after a meal !!

Happy exploring Rajasthan !