Sheraton
brings the flavors of Rajasthan to Namma Bengaluru
India is a
country which is known for its cultural diversity. With 29 different states
comes multiple languages, diverse culture and as we all know, food is a very
important aspect of any culture. Every
state in India has something unique to offer in terms of food, taste, spices
and the ethos that comes along.
Rajasthan is
one among the culturally richest states in the country, reflecting the Indianness.
Time has come a long way but the people of Rajasthan have held on to their
roots which is noticeable by their simple nature and warm hospitality. People
of different castes, creed and religion live together in harmony, giving this
state a multi-coloured culture. According to a local adage 'the dialect,
cuisine, water and turbans in Rajasthan change every 12 miles'.
The cuisine
of Rajasthan is a reflection of the rich traditions of the inhabitants. The
state is known for its array of unique, colourful, mouth-watering gastronomic
delights. Natural topography has played an important role in shaping the
cuisine of the state and the stress is more on nutrition rather than on fuss
and ostentation.
In the olden
days, the war-like lifestyle of the Rajput warrior forced them to spend several
weeks, sometimes months, away from home. Fresh home-cooked food was a luxury,
and the womenfolk easily met this challenge by creating food that could be
consumed weeks after it was prepared. But given the limitations of the
availability of ingredients in those days, there was still a very interesting
mix of food. Dal-Baati-Churma, Lal and Safed Maans (red and white meat), Soyeta
and Lahsun-ki-Chutney are recognised as Rajasthani specialties that continue to
please the palate to this day.
Today, ‘fusion
food’ is a trend which is very successful but what hooks me on is the word ‘authenticity’.
Fusion food depends on the creativity of the creator but authenticity only
comes when you are someway attached to the roots.
I am one of
the fortunate few to grow up with many ‘Marwari’ friends and this being one of
the many dialects of Rajasthan, have feasted the lip-smacking home-made food
end number of times. So, when I was invited to be part of the ongoing #RajasthaniFoodFestival
being hosted at #FEAST #SheratonBangalore, I just couldn't hold my excitement.
Feast has
always been instrumental to bring food from various destinations under one
roof. This time they chose to bring the flavors of Rajasthan to Namma Bengaluru
and boy Ohh boy, they have definitely pushed the boundaries. The team has put
in a brilliant effort to make sure the visitors are left mesmerised by the
decked up interiors, serving staff dressed in traditional attire and spread of
fine cuisines all the way from Rajasthan.
We were
welcomed with something that I am very familiar with and have been by part of
diet all my life – ‘Sattu ki Sharbat’. This is something very close to my heart
and I must say it was close enough, with a modern touch served in a kullad. It
was well garnished with sliced onions, coriander leaves and sliced green chillies
with a squeeze of lemon.
Sattu ki Sharbat
The non-veg
appetisers – Murg ka Sula and Jaisalmer ke Boti didn’t really please my taste buds and
couldn’t push myself for second round. This was nothing new or different. I can
get this stuff anywhere in Bangalore, what was missing is that Rajasthani touch
to it.
The next up
was something that really caught everyone’s attention – Stuffed Papad Rolls.
Everyone one of us would have had a chance to taste Papad at least once in life
but who would have thought you can do something so simple yet so brilliantly
different to the ever humble papad.
Stuffed Papad Rolls
But the
highlight of the evening that left me asking for more and more was the cult
Rajasthani dish – Daal-Baati Churma. Ohh Boy, how good was this.. absolutely
brilliant, that pure essence of desi ghee, that perfectly cooked daal, that
overwhelming sweetness of churma... it just felt like home.
Daal-Baati Churma
The
main-course was a long spread but only two things that qualifies as good was ‘Laal Maans’ and
‘Murgh Biryani’. Other notable mentions would be ‘Marwari Machchi
Curry’ and ‘Dum Aloo Judhpuri’.
Laal Maans
Murgh Biryani
Dum Aloo Judhpuri
Dessert is a
very important part of any feast and this where I was a bit disappointed. I have
a sweet tooth and I expected so many eye pleasing and lip-smacking authentic,
traditional desserts.. Only to be welcomed by Galebi and Ghewar with Rabdi and
few others that I wouldn’t like to mention.
Ghewar
Overall
experience was a mixed one with few hits and misses. But looking at the
positives there are few things that really set a smile on my face and I would
go back to eat only those few things.
Verdict: 3/5
Information on Rajasthan - Source: http://tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/
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