The Sweet Tradition of Rajasthani Cuisine

There is a tradition in Rajasthani cuisine that the sweet dishes are never considered as dessert. Unlike desserts, they are often served along with the main course meal.

The natives of Rajasthan have an interesting style of pairing the sweet dishes with the main course. For example Halwa Puri and Doodh Jalebi are the well known combinations. The love for sweets in many people of Rajasthan can easily be seen as they prefer to take Jalebi with a large glass of hot milk in the morning.

The key ingredients for most of the Rajasthani dishes are pulses, legumes, dairy products and dry fruits. Most of the sweets are chashni (caramel) based.

Many varieties of same sweet can also be found in Rajasthan, like for halwa, there is moong halwa, suji halwa, atta halwa, badaam halwa, gaajar ka halwa etc. Many varieties of laddus (sweet balls) can also be commonly found like motichur ka laddu, besan ka laddu, boondi ka laddu, doodh ka laddu etc. Some sweets like Gaajar Halwa and Gaund ka Laddu are prepared only in winter season as they generate the required warmth inside the body. Few of the dairy based sweets are Kheer, Mawa, and Kalakand. Sweet dishes like Ghevar, Churma, Besan Chakki, Jhajariya, Palangtorh are a few which are rich in dry fruits.

Sweets are locally called as Mithai. Apart from the spicy flavors Rajasthani food is famous for; each region has its own specialty in Mithais. Like -

·         Ghevar from Jaipur

·         Rasogullas from Bikaner

·         Malpua from Pushkar

·         Mawa Katchori from Jodhpur

·         Dil Jani from Udaipur

·         Sohan Halwa from Ajmer

·         Palangtorh from Alwar

So the next time you come to a trip to Rajasthan, do not forget to bring an empty bag to take back these delectable desserts for your loved ones.