Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Vageesha Yadav
Rajasthan being a land of forts and royal heritage, it is one of the most loved tourist destinations in India. It is not only known for its rich culture but also famous for its wide range in cuisines. Starting from the spiciest dishes like ker sangari, gatte ki sabzi to the sweetest dishes like ghewar, it contains all the rich flavours and textures that have no parallel in other parts of India.
One of the main reasons for this wide variety can be credited to its geographical features and climate and the availability of resources. The Aravalli Hill is spread in such a way that the whole region is naturally divided into two parts, one is the arid north-western part and other is the fertile south-eastern part. The arid part has further two divisions one is purely arid on which the Great Indian Desert or The Thar Desert lays, and the other is semi-arid on which the whole Marwar is situated. Since the latter part is extensive in area, it is dominated by scrub-like vegetation which requires relatively less water. So only the crops like bajra, jowar,etc. survives in this harsh climate. These all factors have also affected the cooking style of the inhabitants here. The indigenous dishes usually contain less water and more lacto-ingredients such as kadhi, gatte ki sabzi, raab etc..
This article will be about the staple food, the non-veg food, the sweet dishes and the beverages that help the inhabitants to beat the extreme climate.
- STAPLE FOOD–
Famous Rajasthani dishes like daal baati choorma, sogra (kadhi), ker sangari, Bajri raab etc. are the everyday food.
Each delicacy is a remarkable narrative of people’s zeal for survival. Lack of vegetation and frequent famines made people develop food culture with whatever they had around them, Ker Sangari is one of them. It is a perfect mixture of salty and tangy flavour to the palate. Sangari are a pods of Khejari tree (which is in abundance in Rajasthan), they are dried, boiled, strained and prepared with lots of spices chilli powder, black pepper, coriander powder, amchur for tangy flavour,) and oil due to which it can be preserved for few days.
Another dish that is nutritious and equally filling is Bajri Raab. It is made by boiling bajra flour in buttermilk with addition of salt, jeera and chilli flakes, and makes a sumptuous porridge. It is not only a regular diet of villagers but also enjoyed by urban people occasionally.
One of the rustic dishes made in most of the households here is, dal-baati-churma. The brilliance of this made-for-the-warrior and workforce meal is that traditionally it is prepared together. While the embers from the chulha are used to slow-bake the baati, on simmer is the dal with the dish of lehsun set on top to steam. This method of preparing the meal was time saving, it also cranked up the taste of a simple lentil dish that was usually tempered with dry chilli and ghee. It was a functional way of cooking as well, since it allowed people to use their time doing other productive work like farming. Such was the effect of the slow-cooked food that often it was the ration that was made in bulk and part of the plethora of stores the armies carried with them to war.
The fierce warrior Veer Durgadas Rathore, in the shadow of war, not even finding time to dismount, eating bati baked in open fire, with the help of spear
2.LAAL MAAS-
Usually, the Rajasthani food culture is known for vegetarian dishes, but dishes especially like laal maas(red meat) have its own glory in the kitchen of Rajputs.
Traditionally prepared with hunting game like wild boar or deer (now it is only made from lamb’s meat), its bold-red colour comes from the liberally used Mathania red chillies. A cup with a burning piece of charcoal is infused with cloves and ghee and set atop the preparation, after which the utensil is sealed. The dish comes with thick gravy and is usually paired with hot rotis made of wheat or bajra.
Sometimes different ingredients were paired with meat that made some classic dishes such as kachaer maas. It is made from dried kanchara which gives a soft texture to the meat and hence enhances the taste.
Another interesting dish is khada khargosh. The red meat is marinated with spices, wrapped in leaves or rotis and is dug in a pit for about six to eight hours. The dish is spicy in taste.
- SWEEET DISHES-
An easy to make sweet dish is Churma Laddo. It is made by grinding and mixing light baked wheat flour, jaggery and sugar with ghee and then shaping it into laddoo. Its combination with daal bati makes the whole dish satisfying.
Another worldwide famous sweet and is in the taste bud of every Rajasthani is Malayi ghewar. It is a honeycomb shaped disc made from flour, ghee and milk and with perfect frying and topped with malayi or rabdi which add to its lusciousness.
- BEVERAGES
The drinks have been the sole reason for survival in this hot and dry desert for centuries. The ingredients not only replenish the required salt that is lost due to the heat waves but also gives a sense of satisfaction and belongingness to this dry place.
One of the relishing drinks that is served in every house of Rajasthan is chhaach (buttermilk). It is traditionally made by churning yogurt with water to reach light consistency. Some additional spices like cumin, black pepper and refreshing mint provides the buttery chhaach a burst of palate cleansing flavours.
Amlavani- a tamarind based sherbet is another sweet and sour drink that has a cooling effect on these extreme temperatures. It is made by soaking jaggery and tamarind in water and concentrating it with spices like black pepper, mint powder, dry ginger and stored in the refrigerator. It has some medicinal values as it used to treat gastric issues like bloating and indigestion.
These dishes and their way of preparation with the available resources around them, in the ruthless geographical and climatic condition, show the resilience that people have developed here over the centuries.
References
- Cuisine of Rajasthan
(https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/attfile/Rajasthan%20Cuisine.pdf)
- Famine foods in Rajasthan by M.M Bhandari (on Jstor)
- Rajasthan’s vanishing royal cuisines
(https://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/rajasthans-vanishing-royal-cuisine/23442/1)
