Have you ever tasted the flavours that make Rajasthan’s cuisine so unique? Have you wandered through the streets of the city and explored the food to try in Jodhpur? Or have you ever wondered how the Rajasthani cuisine developed in such a rugged and arid region? Well, let’s explore some of those questions.
Rajasthan is a dry desert state with a rare abundance of flora and fauna. The cuisine of Rajasthan is laced with its history of royalty and war which it accompanies. The people throughout time in this region have made delicious meals out of whatever was available to them. They preferred food that could last for days without heating up. Since water and fresh vegetables are scarce, it had an impact on the cuisine as a whole. A few staple ingredients of Rajasthani cuisine are milk products (especially ghee), lentils, gram flour, beans, barley, millet, corn, and meat. Using milk, buttermilk, curd, and more had started to save water and now it is preferred for its creamy and rich taste and texture. The meat of various kinds like mutton, chicken and boar are prepared. The most important thing is Rajasthani cuisine which makes it so unique is the spices used.
You might have heard about Laal Maas and Safed Maas and many such decadent non-vegetarian and meat-based dishes. But Rajasthani vegetarian food does not shy away from being absolutely delicious! Dishes like Dal Baati Churma, Gatte ki sabzi, and more embellish the food of Rajasthan.
One such dish unique to the region is Panchmel ki Sabzi. Though Panchmel is a district in the region, this refers to the combination of five different vegetables.
Directly translated to Panch meaning five and Mel meaning mix, Panchmel ki sabzi is an authentic Rajasthani preparation made with five different vegetables – pumpkin, snake gourd, cucumber, cluster beans, and green tomatoes. It is a gravy based dish enjoyed with wheat phulkas, bakhris and garlic chutney. Some people even use potatoes, capsicums, carrots, radishes and brinjals for it.
A great way to enjoy Rajasthan’s cuisine combined at once is to enjoy a grand Rajput thali. An absolutely tantalizing experience for your tastebuds and a stomach full of the authentic food of the region. The thali, meaning plate, is an Indian way of serving multiple dishes and flavours at once for a unique and fulfilling experience of a specific region’s cuisine. You may come across a plethora of different dishes that the cuisine has to offer on one plate-like Dal Baati Churma, Sattu, different breads like Phulkas, Bajra rotis, Pooris, Kachauris, Parathas, Khoba roti, Missi roti, Pyaaz Kachori, Gatte ki sabzi, different types of dals, Panchmel ki sabzi/dal, different types of Kadhi like Bundi ki kadhi, Gatte ki Kadhi, Amras ki Kadhi and more. Mung wadi and Papad ki sabzi are a must-have along with Ker Sangri. For meat lovers, various preparations are provided like the infamous Laal Maas, Safed Maas, Bajari Gosht, Bhuna Kukda, Khad Khargosh, and Sula amongst many others. Many drinks like Jal jeera, chhach and thandai may be served as accompaniments like the various selection of chutneys, papads, and pickles.
When it comes to sweets though, Rajasthan brings a strong game like no other. Indulgent sweets prepared in pure ghee and syrups are sure to give your sweet tooth a satisfactory ride. Malpuas, Imartis, Moong Dal Halwa, Badam Halwa, Mohan Thal, Ghewar, Mawa Misri, and a list unending. Sweets from Rajasthan are loved all over the country.
You can try Rajasthani royal thali at an authentic eatery in Jodhpur or any other city through the types of components of the thali may differ according to the region you eat from.
The Rajput land is absolute heaven for foodies and flavour connoisseurs out there. A wonderful journey for tastebuds and the soul alike. Experience authentic Rajasthani delicacies along with a wonderful stay under the starry night sky of the Thar desert in a desert camp in Jodhpur. Experience luxurious desert camping with cultural immersion at Manvar Resort and Desert Camp in Jodhpur. You may even get the chance to enjoy the royal thali here in a desert camp in Jodhpur sand dunes. Meals were made from the Rajasthani earth by Rajasthani people in the Rajasthani desert. No experience more authentic than this!