Land of Princes, as Rajasthan is called, shows off, many a fine gastronomic both within the palaces and outside. The royal kitchens of Rajasthan, the preparation of food was a very complex matter and was raised to the levels of an art form. Thus the 'Khansamas' (the royal cooks) worked in the stately palaces and kept their most enigmatic recipes to themselves. Some recipes were passed on to their descendants and the rest were passed on as skills to the chefs of semi states and the branded hotel companies. Fascinating Rajasthan Cuisines were influenced by the geomorphology and political conditions of the region. The availability of all types of food was a rarity here and the preservation of the food was the main criteria because of the desert conditions and war situations. Therefore Rajasthanis preferred food that could last for several days once prepared and could be eaten without the need to heat.
Scarcity of water and lack of fresh green vegetables effected the Rajasthani cooking and resulted in a very different kind of cuisine. In the desert zones of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner, food that requires the minimum of water is prefer. The people use more of milk, buttermilk and clarified butter and liberal use of spices especially red chilly powder to compensate for the lack of water and fresh vegetables.
Dried lentils or beans from plants like sarigri, ker etc. are used more often. Gram flour is a major ingredient here and is used to make some of the fascinating delicacies like khata, gatta ki sabzi and pakodi. Lentils are also powdered to prepare mangodi, badi and papad. Bajia and corn are used over a large area of the state to prepare rabdi, kheechdi and rotis. Various fascinating chutneys are made from locally available spices like turmeric, dried mangoes, coriander, mint, onion, ginger and garlic. The most fascinating Rajasthani recipe is the combination of dal or lentil, baati or baked wheat balls and churma or powdered sweetened cereal.
Fascinating Rajasthan Cuisines varies from region to region with different castes and different regions having slightly different preferences. The people of Rajastan also prefer non-vegetarian food perhaps due to lack of easy availability of fresh vegetables. Fascinating Rajasthan Cuisines also comprises of a lot of sweet dishes.
The Kachchwaaha family of Jaipur is the originator of the delicacy called Safed Maans or white meat. The preparation is white in color and is prepared from white mutton. The curry is prepared from cashew nuts, almonds, fresh coconut kernel paste, white pepper and poppy seeds. Besides, Mishri Mawa, Kalakand and Ghevar of Jaipur are also very famous.
The region of Jaisalmer is famous for Laddoos, Pushkar for Malpua, Ajmer for Sohan Halwa, Alwar for Mawa and Bharatpur for Sweets made from milk.
The region of Bikaner is famous for its spicy Aloo Bhujiya, Papads and Rasgulla. The region of Mewar or Udaipur is believed to have come up the form of barbecue called Sooley and Dil Jani. The region of Jodhpur is famous for Makhaniya Lassi, Kachoris, hot green masala chilies and Laddoos.
