In Rajasthan, food is considered to be a crucial part of its culture and therefore, is elevated to the level of an art form. The Rajasthani cuisine has its own exquisite flavour, even though the simplest and most basic of ingredients are used while preparing most of its dishes. Its peculiar style of cooking was majorly influenced by various factors such as the war-like lifestyle of its residents coupled with the ingredients available in the region. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred, more out of necessity than choice. Apart from this, the scarcity of water and lack of fresh green vegetables was also an important factor that influenced the way of cooking in Rajasthan. In the desert belt of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner, it was imperative for the cooks to use a bare minimum of water and therefore, they preferred to use more milk, clarified butter and buttermilk instead. A liberal usage of dried lentils and beans was made from indigenous plants such as Sangri, Ker etc. A major ingredient used in various Rajasthani dishes is gram flour, of which several delicacies like khata, gatta ki sabzi, pakodi are made. Rabdi, khichdi and rotis are prepared using Bajra and Corn, all across the state. Locally available spices like coriander, garlic, mint and turmeric are used to make different kinds of chutneys.Besides the exquisite spicy flavours, every region has its own sweet speciality too. This includes Ladoos from Jodhpur & Jaisalmer, Jalebis from most big cities, Dil Jani from Udaipur, Malpuas from Pushkar, Mishri Mawa & Ghevar from Jaipur, Rasogullas from Bikaner, Mawa from Alwar and Sohan Halwa from Ajmer. It is said that the best known Rajasthani food is the combination of dal, bati and churma but a wide variety of options are available for the travellers willing to experiment with the savoury flavours and delicacies of Rajasthan.
