Food / Cuisines of Rajasthan

The gastronomic delights of Rajasthan include both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Due to the influence of the royals, several dishes of Rajasthan cuisine that are well known today include meat dishes; these were made of the meats of animals that were hunted down. Now hunting is banned but the recipes still remain. Besides, the lavish scale of royal banquets for a large number of people involving multitude of courses and dishes can still be experienced in the hotels of Rajasthan during a theme dinner.

The recipes were jealously guarded and have been handed down from generation to generation. Cooking in India has always been treated as an art form and same is also the case with Rajasthan cuisines. Balance of ingredients, cooking form and presentation of dishes, all are taken care of. In some of the hotels during your visit to Rajasthan, do not be surprised if meals are served in authentic silver used by the families of the erstwhile royals.

The climatic conditions, and the lack of availability of vegetables and water thereof, have had their impact on the cuisine of Rajasthan. Rajasthani cooks use minimum water and instead use more milk, buttermilk and clarified butter. A distinct feature of the Maheshwari cooking is the use of mango powder, a good substitute for tomatoes that scarce in the desert, and asafoetida, to enhance the taste in the absence of garlic and onions.

The dishes that a Rajasthani swears by are dal, bati and churma (lentils and a broken ball of cooked grains) , sula (smoked kebabs), eleven traditional ways of cooking lamb with an assortment of spices, besan ki misi puri, lachha parantha, safed mass (white meat cooked in cashew paste) and lal maans (red meat dish).