The endless cuisine.

In case you're wondering from the title, I'm going to talk about the Gujarati cuisine in this blog. The state faces mild desert conditions and faces extreme weather conditions. As a result of this, the cuisine is very wide and delicious.

The main meal consists of Roti ( the Indian bread ), Dal, Bhat (rice), shaak(any vegetable side) and a sweet dish. North Gujarat, Kathiawad, Kachchh, Central Gujarat and South Gujarat are the five major regions of the state and have their own touch to the cuisine. On special occasions, the thali or meal also includes a dish made of pulses and a farsan( any snack item ). Despite a rich coastline, the cuisine is mostly vegetarian. Many communities, however, include meat in their diets.

Let's see some staple foods of Gujarat and Gujaratis all over the world:

Khichdi: 

Made out of lentil and rice, it also has variations such as Bajra ni khichdi(made using bajra, mainly during winters), Moong ni khichdi(using moong dal in specific), Sabudana ni khichdi(consumed during fasting-period, made up of sago), etc. It is served with Kadhi and add-ons such as Surat nu Undhiyu and ringan no oro. It is easy to prepare and made a lot in my house too.

Bisi belle bhat and Pongal are the south Indian variations of Khichdi.

Chaas:

All india favourite Buttermilk needs no introduction. It's called moru in Tamilnadu, Ghol in Bengal, majjiga in Andhra Pradesh. Chaas can be consumed plain but some spices such as salt, black salt, etc add more to its taste.

Undhiyu:

This dish could be called the star of gujarati cuisine. It is a mixture of many vegetables and pulses marinated with spices. Traditonally made in earthen pots, it is cooked upside down, fired from upside. These are cooked in a spicy curry that sometimes includes coconut. 

Dal Dhokli:

Dal Dhokli is a Gujarati, Rajasthani and Maharashtrian dish. It is made by boiling Wheat crumbs(dhokli) in thick lentil(dal). It is often considered as comfort food.

Farsan:

Books can be written on this part of the cuisine. Farsan are snacks prepared mainly using besan( chickpea flour or kadala-mav in Tamil). The major Farsan items are:

• Kachori
• Dhokla
• Khandvi
• Fafda
• Ghatiya
• Patra
• Muthia
• Handvo
• Locho
• Bhajiya

Khandvi

Dhokla

Patra

The list will go on. Finally, let's look at the variety of sweets. Gujaratis love sweets and as a result, a majority of the dishes taste sweet, salty and spicy all at the same time. A lot of these can be found in different states, but they have a distinct taste in Gujarat.

Some of the sweets are:

• Adadiya
• Sheero (favorite of a majority of the population, also easy to make)
• Monthal
• Gol-Papdi
• Penda
• Barfi
• Shrikhand
• Shakkarparra
• Jalebi

Let me stop for today. What has been expressed in this blog is hardly 50% of the cuisine. Other major dishes include sev tamata nu shak, Kadhi, Chaat, Nankhatai, etc. Make sure to try as many delicacies as you can not only in Gujarat but anywhere in the world.

- Uditi Naagar