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 passed on to their sons and the rest were lost forever. The finest cooking in India was derived from 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 flavor and the simplest, the most basic of ingredients go into the preparation of most of the dishes. The war -like lifestyle of its inhabitants and the availability of ingredients in this region influenced Rajasthani cooking. 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 effects 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, butter milk 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, gatte ki sabzi, pakodi etc. Powdered lentils are used for mangodi, papad etc. Bajra and corn is used all over the state for preparations of rabri, kheechdi and roti. 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 travelers, willing to experiment, there is a lot of variety available.

Each region has its own special food item that is identified with the town or city. While trying the various delicacies don’t miss out the special ghevar of Jaipur, laddos and mirchi badas from Jodhpur, malpuas from Pushkar, rasgullas and nakmkin bhujia from Bikaner, sohan halwa from Ajmer, dil jani from Udaipur, mawa from Alwar, til papdi from Beawar. Hot jalebies are available in most town and cities.