In the final part of this series, we’ll look at two of our
personal favorite cuisines, the first being that of Kerala, and the other being
the endlessly fascinating cuisine of Rajasthan.
Sun meals
Now, Rajasthan’s unique climactic conditions have greatly
limited the sort of ingredients that people could use in their foods. This arid
region, with a scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables, has selected
long-lasting foods over the easily perishable, and many of the famous dishes
from the place are of the kind that can be eaten within being heated. Famous
for snacks such as Bikaneri Bhujia, Mirchi Bada, Pyaaj Kachori, Rajasthani
cuisine is also unique for consuming sweets like Churma and Gujia during and
after the meal.
Despite the relative scarcity of green vegetables, Rajasthan
has a profusion of spices, and that can be evidenced in its more famous foods
and chutneys (hot garlic paste). Like species, dry foods and yogurt are often
featured in Rajasthani meals, whose preparation usually involves a lot of pure
ghee, which a number of people feel makes the dishes quite ‘heavy’. Another
famous type of Rajasthani food is the Bajre ki Roti (or millet bread) and other
sun-dried snacks. Additionally, it was from the Marwar region of Rajasthan that
the concept of Marwari Bhojnalaya, or vegetarian restaurants, was exported to
the rest of the country.
God’s own foods
Unlike Rajasthani cuisine, foods from Kerala are usually
considered a lot lighter, utilizing healthier methods of preparation than
drenching ingredients in ghee. A profusion of coconuts and spices ensures that
there is an abundance of them in the meals, with coconut milk and spices such
as black pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger and cinnamon finding a place in most
of the dishes. The primary ingredients of these dishes are rice and cassava,
along with fish and various vegetables. With famous dishes like fish curry,
baked tapioca, and Sadya style banquets, the cuisine of Kerala is provides a
dazzling array of variety that garners it its highly favorable position on our
table and makes us want to expand the variety at Black Pepper, already regarded
as the best multicusine restaurant in Dehradun.