Introduction:

Gujarati cuisine brings into our minds dhoklas, khandvi, condhiyo, dudhpak and of course a list of other items. Thought most of the gujaraties are pure vegetarians, some non-Hindus like the bohri community from Surat, have also contributed the cuisine, so also the Parsi community. 

Gujarat is the land of compound religion of Jainism, Buddhism, Parsees, Islam and Hindus, who are mainly vegetarians, excluding the Parsees and Muslims. People have perfected in the art of vegetarian cooking due to the influence of the Jains. Here, the common man’s food is bajra or jowar. Rotli or bhakri is eaten with locally grown vegetables.  Taking the simplest of vegetables and lentils, they create a mouthwatering variety of food. They daily consume dahi and chhas. Papad is favourite in Gujarat. They are prepared in all houses. Gujarati food is mildly flavoured where onions and garlic are generally not used while green chilies and ginger paste are used and pepped up with plenty of hot pickles and chutneys. There is a blend of sweet and spices in Gujarati cuisine. This harmony is obtained from mixing of the sweet with the salty which makes the cooking of this state different for e. g. doodh pak (milk confection), sev-ganthia (a variety of spicy snacks; kadhi (a curry made of yoghurt), undhiyu (a winter delicacy vegetables cooked in earthen pot), srikhand (a yoghurt dessert flavoured with saffron, nuts and fruits), and suter pheni (fine vermicelli cooked in sweet rounds).

A Gujarati “thali” offers endless variety of savoury vegetables, lentils, fried snacks. Sweet meats, etc. accompanied with butter milk, yoghurts and nuts or savouries like khaman dhoklas (a steamed cake made of gram flour paste) or khandvi (savoury besan pancakes) which are served with thali, are called farsan.

Gujarat can be divided into four regions and because of the climactic differences; there are variations in eating habits and modes of preparation.

  1. Northern Gujarat: – this is a slightly Rajasthani influence and is famous for thali consisting of rice, dal, curry, vegetables, khaman dhoklas, khandvi, sprouted beans, farsan, pickles, chutney and raita.
  2. Kathiawad: –this region also known as Saurashtra with its vast stretches of dry earth has sugarcane, wheat, millet, peanuts and sesame offering some mouthwatering dishes to the world. Pulses dominate in kathiawadi cooking along with gur (jaggery). Favourite include Debras (made with wheat flour mixed with spinach, green chillies, a dollop of yoghurt and a pinch of salt and sugar). These are eaten with chhundo (a hot and sweet shredded mango pickle), methia masala (a dry powder made from fenugreek seeds, chilli powder and salt), this is sprinkled over raw vegetables and salads and gives the food an especially piquant flavour, phafda (a flavoured assorted flour puri is another kathiawadi favourite.
  3. Kutch: – these regions experience moist climate due to the Raan. The dishes include khichdi with raita, khaman dhoklas, doodh pak etc.
  4. South Gujarat: – in comparison to the dry region of Saurashtra, southern Gujarat is blessed with plenty of rainfall, since this area is dominated by extensive pastures; cattle rearing is the main occupation of the people. AMUL – the first milk cooperative was established here, surati (a paneer, is world famous for its nutty flavour. Green vegetables and plenty of fruit therefore dominate surati food. Popular items include a delicious vegetables concoction called undhiyu and paunk, a tangy delicacy.