Vibrant Gujarat has a lot to offer to
a lover of vegetarian cuisine. Culinary art of Gujarat is well defined and
reflect the nature of the people here. Food here is simple, graceful and yet
very down to earth. Most remarkable feature of Gujarati cuisine and that
which makes it outstanding amongst the rest of north Indian vegetarian food
is its inherent subtlety and texture.
Food
is not over-cooked in Gujarati cooking which helps to retain the flavour and
texture of the component vegetables in a '
shaak' (sabzi)
and also in '
kathol' (pulses). A good Gujarati
Maharaj (cook) also makes subtle use of spices to keep
the integral taste of the vegetables which otherwise gets lost in the mix of
spices.
However, the greatest contribution of Gujarati cuisine to the rest of the
country are a huge variety of scrumptious snacks. Known as '
Farsan'
in Gujarat (the word that denotes savoury and lives up to its meaning),
constitutes an essential part of the Gujarati meal. These snacks are not
very oily and very rich in taste. These are often complimented by spicy
chutneys and hot pickles.
Staple food of the people is wheat here and
rotalis
(roti) prepared from it is an integral part of the meals. Consumption of
bajra and jowar is rampant in winter season. Rice is also a staple diet of
the people in some regions. Vegetarianism is mainly practiced in Gujarat
largely due to the influence of Jainism.
