Rajasthan, a state in North-West India, is a popular tourist destination thanks to a Mughal-era legacy of fairytale palaces and spectacular forts.  

These days popular North Indian dishes overrun local menus, but the occasional restaurant still reserves a section for Rajasthani dishes. Make sure you try them. The food is unique and in run-of-the-mill restaurants is often more tasty than the better known dishes on the menu.

Rajasthani food is an interesting case study in a regional cuisine that has been shaped by local environmental conditions.

The western half of the state lies in the Thar desert, and even the eastern side is relatively arid compared to the fertile south of India.

Because of the dry climate and lack of water, Rajasthani food makes little use of vegetables and rice - the staples of much Indian food - which are not easy to grow in the region. In their place, Rajasthani food relies heavily on grains and pulses.

In Jaisalmer we tried a delicious Rajasthani thali (tasting plate of small dishes). The main curry was dumplings made with gram (chickpea flour). It came with dahl, and a second curry of a local bean (ker) in a masala sauce. Although we were given a small amount of rice, the main accompaniement was baira roti - a malted bread cooked over a fire.

We had a second opportunity to try Rajasthani food in a small Bishnoi village called Salawas outside of Jodhpur. The Bishnoi people are vegetarian, and believe in living in harmony with the natural enivornment. They are relatively poor, and live very simply in small houses.

Our lunch consisted of ground millet roti, a local bean called “ker”, a rich, milk based dahl and a strong lemon pickle. The meal was spicy, but refreshingly free of oil and rich spices compared to standard North Indian curries.

In Udaipur we had a final opportunity to try Rajasthani dahl and gram flour dumplings. To be honest, I couldn’t pick the difference with the dahl, but the dumplings were lovely - very soft and not heavy as I thought a flour dumpling would be.

Rajasthani food is relatively spartan compared to the North Indian curries that are so popular around the world. While I can’t see it catching on internationally, the food is definitely worth trying on a visit to Rajasthan, and is a timely reminder that living off locally appropriate food can be a delicious and environmentally sound experience.

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