Rajasthan

A traditional and rather conservative Indian state located to the west and north of Delhi and extending to the Pakistani border in the northwest and to Gujarat to the west; it is bordered by the state of Madhya Pradesh to the south and east. The capital and largest city is Jaipur; other notable cities are Jodhpur and Udaipur. Rajasthan is dry and desertlike, with some hilly ranges. In recent times, irrigation projects have made more of the land reliably cultivable, but the region still suffers from periodic droughts. Many people are nomadic or seminomadic. The majority of the population is Hindu, and there are important numbers of Muslims and Jains. The ruling class is Rajput, a warrior caste. Traditional dishes include game, grilled dishes, and many flatbreads, including breads made with sorghum or Indian millet or corn flour. There is also a very interesting unleavened bread called batti that is baked as a ball in the embers of the fire, then cracked open and eaten with ghee and sometimes a dal poured over it. Cooking traditions also include aromatic smoking, in which a dish of simmered meat or vegetables is finished off by being flavored with aromatic smoke: A piece of incense or burning juniper (we might use rosemary) is set in a holder in the pot, which is then covered tightly so the smoke can perfume the dish.