Common Food Ingredients
Common Ingredients
Dried beans and spices such as ‘heeng‘ (aesofoetida), amchur (mango powder), red chillies and mustard seeds, pickled meat, dried preparations called ‘papads‘ and ‘badis‘ form a large part of Rajasthani cuisine as they could be conserved for long periods of time and proved themselves to be very useful in the early days when there was little produce in summers and transport was not so efficient. The curries prepared using these dried preparations and often yoghurt or buttermilk and a lot of chillies and other herbs are simply delicious. Rice is considered a delicacy in Rajasthan as it does not grow here. Chewing dried pork fat, called sauth, in winters was considered prevention against colds and is still considered a good traditional remedy.