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 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
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 rupee 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 served.
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 man’s kitchen remained
untouched, more so in Rajasthan. Cooking here has its
own unique flavour and the simplest, the most baxid 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 Sangri, Ker etc. Are liberally used. Gram
flour is 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. Bajra and
corn is used all 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, Bhujiya & Papad from
Bikaner, Dil Jani from Udaipur, Mishri Mawa and Ghevar
from Jaipur, Sohan Halwa from Ajmer, Mawa from Alwar,
Tilpapadi from Beawar. |
