Each region in India has its own traditional dishes
and specialties. In the royal kitchens of Rajasthan food was very
serious business and rose 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 extraordinary
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 man's kitchen remained untouched, more so in Rajasthan. Cooking
here has its own unique flavor and simple, the most basic of ingredients
go into the preparation of most of the 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
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 and papad. Bajia and corn are also used. 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
