Food and Cuisine of Rajasthan

Rajasthan cuisine, an eclectic array of culinary delights from royal kitchens and influences of Rajputs and Mughals. Rajasthan Food Festival, the perfect time for food lovers to treat their taste buds.

Rajasthan, the Land of Princes shows off an eclectic array of culinary delights from around the world. It boasts of its fine kitchen, both inside and outside the palaces. The preparation of food in the royal kitchens of Rajasthan was a serious matter. The royal cooks cooked food inside the palaces and kept their recipes closely guarded. Some recipes were passed on to their descendants.

Due to the slight difference in preferences, the cuisine of Rajasthan differs with each region and caste.

Rajasthani cooking was influenced by war-like lifestyles as well as the availability of the ingredients in the region. Dishes that could last for days were preferred. Cooking of food was also affected by the scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables.

Minimum use of water and more milk, clarified milk (ghee) and buttermilk influenced the cooking style in the desert belt of Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer. Use of mango powder and asafoetida as a suitable substitute to tomatoes and onions, scarcely found in the desert, was a distinct feature of the Maheshwari cooking.

Though, Rajasthani curries are bright red in colour but they are not as spicy as they seem to be. Pure Ghee (clarified butter) is a dominating medium of cooking for the Rajasthani cuisine.

A combination of dal (lentils), bati (baked wheat ball) and churma (powdered sweetened cereal) is the best-known Rajasthani food. On the contrary, if you are a complete foodie and are ready to experiment, there is a delectable variety for you to choose from. Do not forget to try out the various chutneys made from locally available spices like turmeric, mint, coriander and garlic.

Food lovers can treat their taste buds at the RAJASTHAN FOOD FESTIVAL. It carries its long royal legacy with it till date.

The sweets of Rajasthan are equally good as the spicy delicacies. Each and every region distinguished by a sweet of its own can treat your taste buds. To name a few are Alwar ka Mawa, Rasogullas from Bikaner, Malpuas from Pushkar, Mawa Kachori from Jodhpur and Ghevar from Jaipur.

Most of the Rajasthani people prefer vegetarian cuisine, but not all. Among the Maharajas, Junglee Maas was a great favourite. Not only hunting but the passion of cooking the Shikars for special guests was also relished by the Maharajas. On the other hand, the vegetarian cooking of the Maheshwaris of Marwar or Jodhpur did not use even garlic and onion.

The personal enigmatic recipes of the Khansama (royal cooks) are major attractions at the royal gatherings till date. The trends of cooking used earlier still continue among the generations.