Every Indian state is special in its own way and has a distinctive culinary tradition of its own. If you are on a tour to Rajasthan, you should not miss out the Rajasthani cuisine at any cost since the ingredients have a royal flavor and have been crafted to perfection over a period of several centuries. The cuisine of Rajasthan has been inspired by the food habits of the royalty who generally kept their cuisine a secret. Unlike the popular belief, the Rajasthani dishes also include lots of non-vegetarian flavors as the royals used to go for hunting and bring the meat or fowl as their prized achievements.

In the present days, the Rajasthani dishes have a good number of non vegetarian dishes that are simply irresistible and prepared with the finest ingredients. The dishes are usually cooked in pure ghee and well-known for their delicious aroma. Rajasthan's most delectable curries are cooked by use of pulses or gram flour. Besides, dry fruits, spices and yogurt are also incorporated in many delicacies. Rajasthan also flaunts a wide array of sun-dried snacks. Whether it is dal baati and churma or missi roti, one always ends up licking his fingers.

The Mughals brought with themselves foreign flavors that eventually inspired the royal cuisine of India. The cuisine of Rajasthan has its own unique flavor and the best ingredients go in to the preparations that make the dishes delight for the senses. Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner, the desert belts of Rajasthan, use the least amount of water and prefer to use more milk, buttermilk and clarified butter. Besides, dried lentils, beans from indigenous plants like sangri, ker, etc are abundantly used. The delicacies like khata, gatta ki sabzi, pakodi incorporate gram flour as a chief ingredient that really enriches the flavor of Rajasthani cuisine. For the preparation of rabdi, kheechdi, and rotis, powdered lentils are used. The chutneys form an inseparable part of the dishes and are prepared from the locally available spices such as turmeric, coriander, mint and garlic.

Some of the major dishes that make up the food of Rajasthan are Aloo Bharta, Chana Dal Parantha, Churma, Daal Batti, Ghevar, Aloo Mangodi, Bhuna Kukda, Chane Jaiselmer Ke, Gatte Ka Pulao, Jaipur Ki Gajak Machchi Ke Sooley, Makki Paneer Pakora and Marwadi Gatta Kadhi.

After the main course, the cuisine is still incomplete without the sweet dishes and some of the popular sweet dishes of Rajasthan are Ladoos, Malpuas, Jalebies, Rasogullas, Dil Jani, Mishri Mawa and Ghevar, Sohan Halwa and Mawa.

The dishes cooked in the pure desi ghee are so tasty that the flavor is certainly going to linger in your mouth for quite some time.

Touristplacesinindia.com offers online information on the Rajasthani cuisine and also offers useful inputs on tour to Rajasthan.