Royal Cuisines Of India: A Culinary Delight

Royal cuisines of India is famous among travels and food lovers. Indian food is known for its variety and the deep-rooted culture which gives the range of diversity. The land of ‘Maharajas‘ and ‘Gharanas‘ truly believes in hospitality. According to an axiom ‘Atithi devo bhava’ we Indians can go to any extent to give our guests the royal hospitality. Despite hospitality, we have a treasure of royal food which reflects the history of royal kitchens and the best cooks employed for them. The luxurious utensils and the delightful dishes served in them. But, unfortunately, there are not many documentations regarding the royal Indian cuisines. It has been influenced by every foreign invasion and trade relation especially by the Mughals and stayed as a part of the royal heritage of Indian kitchens.

Gone are those kings and their cooks. Some recipes were passed to their next generation and some were lost for ever but here are some cuisines straight from their royal kitchens.

THE RAJASTHANI CUISINE:

In the royal kitchens of Rajasthan food was considered as a very serious element and lifted onto some artistic levels. The food here was served in the utensils of gold and silver. As to impress the royal guests a huge amount was spent monthly on various ingredients for the delicacies like stuffed chicken, goats, camels, pigs and peacocks. The food was simply cooked in plenty of pure ghee, red chilies, and salt and has its own uniqueness. However, the well known Rajasthani food till date is no doubt ‘dal bati churma‘, where ‘batis’ are dipped in a bowl full of pure ghee. Some other dishes are ‘Shahi gatte ki sabzi’, ‘Padampuri Murgh‘. Every meal is incomplete without sweets and here every region has its own. ‘Ghewar‘, ‘Lapsi‘, ‘Meethi kachauri‘ and ‘malpuas‘ do all the justice.

THE HYDERABADI CUISINE:

From kebabs, to biriyanis, this has a lot to offer and secrets to reveal from the Nizam’s kitchen. Biriyani -A quintessential dish and much loved all around the nation. Prepared from rice, mutton or chicken and usually served with dahi chutney and feels heavenly in the stomach. Mirchi ka salan – If you go to Hyderabad and sum up your trip without having this then your trip might be a waste! It is a popular chili and peanut curry served as a side dish.

THE AWADHI CUISINE:

It is an indigenous cuisine of Lucknow, the city of Nawabs and has been mainly influenced by the Mughals. As the cooking techniques of Lucknow are similar to that of Mughal techniques. The royal kitchens of Awadh gave birth to the dum style cooking. The lavishness of this cuisine is not only its ingredients but the rich spices used such as saffron and cardamom in the dishes like ‘Korma‘, ‘Zarda‘, ‘Nalli‘, ‘Biriyani‘, ‘kebabs‘ etc. There are some popular variety of kebabs: Shami kebabs, Kakori Kebabs, Kebabs of Galawat, Patili-ke-kebab, Galouti Kebab and they are as royal as their names.