Udaipur Cuisine
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 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 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 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 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 basic of ingredients go into the preparation of most dishes.
Rajasthani cooking was influenced by 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 a major ingredient here and is used to make some of the
delicacies like khata, gatta ki sabzi, pakodi, powdered lentils are used for
mungadi, papad. Bajra and corn is used all over the state for preparation 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 traveller, 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, Rasgullas from Bikaner, Dil Jani from Udaipur, Mishri
Mawa and Ghewar from Jaipur, Sohan Halwa from Ajmer, Mawa from Alwar....
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