Traditional Gujarati Foods

Vegetarian curries are a staple of traditional Gujarati cuisine.

Gujarat is a state in western India known as the "garden state" for its proliferation of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as for the overwhelmingly vegetarian nature of its local cuisine. What makes Gujarati foods different from other regional Indian cuisines is the use of jaggery -- a type of dark sugar -- mixed into almost every dish. The sweet, salty, spicy flavor triad is the essence of Gujarati cooking. If you wish to serve a traditional Gujarati meal, you may want to use a thali, or silver platter, arranged with several silver bowls, the classic means of presenting food at the table.

Main Courses

Gujarati vegetable curries often contain potatoes.

Vegetarian curries, dahls and kichdi are traditional Gujarati main courses. Typical ingredients include yogurt and buttermilk, coconut, ground nut, sesame seeds, lime juice and jaggery. Common seasonings include mustard seed, fenugreek, thyme and asafoetida. Undhiyu is a well-known Gujarati curry of potato, yam and beans cooked with spices and coconut, and topped with muthiya -- fenugreek dumplings. Kadi is a curried vegetable mixture cooked with yogurt. Lentils are often served either in the form of dahl, a soup like curried dish, or as kichdi, lentils cooked with rice and spices. Kichdi is often served in conjunction with kadi.

Breads and Rice

Rice accompanies nearly every meal.

Wheat chapatis, paratha (flat breads) and puris (fried wheat breads that puff up in a bubble shape) are at almost every Gujarati meal. Rotis can be served plain or stuffed with potatoes or other vegetables. Rice is also a staple, particularly for the wealthy in the region. Poorer people tend to rely more on maize and millet as their grain side dishes.

Side Dishes and Condiments

Mango pickle is a sweet and spicy condiment.

Gujarati meals are often accompanied with a cooling side dish such as raita. Raita consists of curd or yogurt mixed with a variety of vegetables, nuts, dried fruits or chutney. Chutneys are also served plain and come in both sweet and sour varieties. Pickles of fruits such as mango, and of all sorts of mixed vegetables, are also served to accompany meals.

Desserts and Sweets

Coconut is a popular ingredient in Gujarati desserts.

Gujarati desserts have a dairy and fruit theme. Sweetened milk based drinks, kheer (rice pudding) and halva are among the desserts you will find on the table. Coconut pak, made from coconut, milk and sugar cooked together to form a kind of fudge, is a typical dessert. Corn, nuts, dried fruits such as raisins, and saffron are also commonly used to make sweets and desserts.

Beverages

Yogurt is the main ingredient in lassi.

Chaas, a drink made from buttermilk, tea and lassi, a yogurt drink, are all popular beverages in Gujarat. Tadi is a liquor produced in Gujarat, made of Mahua flowers.

References

• "Gujarat, Volume 1"; Rash Bihan Lai; 2003
• "Land and people of Indian States and Union Territories"; S.C. Bhatt et al; 2005
• "Flavorful India: treasured Recipes from a Gujarati Family"; Priti Chitnis Gress; 2008
• indianfood.indianetzone.com: Gujarati Food
• indian-food-recipe.com: Gujarati Recipes
• top-indian-recipes.com: Gujarati Chutneys and Pickles

Resources

• top-indian-recipes.com: Gujarati Sweets and Desserts
• wegujarati.com: Recipes
• indiaprofile.com: Gujaratis