Gujarati cuisine facts for kids

Gujarati cuisine is the delicious food from the Indian state of Gujarat. It's known for its unique mix of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors all at once!

A typical Gujarati thali is like a big platter with many different dishes. It usually has rotli (a type of flatbread), dal (lentil soup) or curry, rice, and shaak (a vegetable dish). The thali also includes dishes made from beans, a snack called farsaan (like dhokla or samosa), and a sweet treat called mishthaan (like jalebi).

The taste of Gujarati food can change a lot depending on the family and which part of Gujarat they are from. Regions like North Gujarat, Kathiawad, Kachchh, Central Gujarat, and South Gujarat all add their special touch to the food. Even though there's lots of seafood available, most people in Gujarat eat vegetarian food. However, some groups like Koli Patel, Ghanchi, Muslim communities, and Parsi people do eat seafood, chicken, and mutton.

What Do Gujaratis Eat Every Day?

Everyday meals often include homemade khichdi (a mix of rice and lentils or mung beans), chaas (buttermilk), and pickles. Main dishes are usually steam-cooked vegetables with different spices. Dals are often added to a vaghar, which is a mix of spices heated in oil. This adds lots of flavor!

Gujarati Thali, a traditional meal with many dishes

People in Gujarat use salt, sugar, lemon, lime, and tomatoes a lot. This helps them stay hydrated because it can get very hot, sometimes up to 50°C (122°F)! It's common to add a little sugar or jaggery (a type of unrefined sugar) to vegetable dishes and dal. This makes the vegetables taste even better.

Food for Every Season

Gujarati food changes with the seasons. For example, in summer, when mangoes are ripe, Keri no Ras (fresh mango pulp) is a popular part of meals. The spices used also change. Garam masala (a mix of warm spices) is used less in summer. Many people also fast regularly, eating only milk, dried fruits, and nuts during these times.

Today, some Gujaratis enjoy very spicy and fried dishes. There are also chefs who mix Western and Gujarati cooking styles.

In villages near Saurashtra, especially in cold winters, people often eat thick rotis called "rotla" made from bajra flour (pearl millet flour). They also eat "bhakri" made from wheat flour, along with garlic chutney, onion, and chaas.

Sweets served with a thali are usually made from milk, sugar, and nuts. "Dry" sweets like magas and ghooghra are often made for celebrations like weddings or Diwali.

Special Side Dishes and Meals

Gujarati cuisine is famous for its many farsan. These are side dishes that go with the main meal. Some farsan are also eaten as snacks on their own.

Gujaratis often call their everyday meal dal-bhat-rotli-saak. This means lentil soup, rice, flatbread, and vegetable curry. For special events, they add more shaak, sweet dishes, and farsan. A festive Gujarati thali can have more than a dozen items!

There are also rules about which dishes go together. For example, if kadhi (a yogurt-based curry) is served, then a lentil dish like chutti dal will also be there. The sweet dish with kadhi will likely be milk or yogurt-based, like doodhpak or shrikhand.

Along the coast of Gujarat, the Kharwa community enjoys fresh and dried fish. They eat seafood like pomfrets, prawns, crabs, lobster, and calamari.

Different Flavors Across Gujarat

Gujarati food tastes different from one region to another. The food from Surat, Kutch, Kathiawad, and North Gujarat are the most unique. Family preferences also play a big role in how food is prepared. Many popular Gujarati dishes have a sweet taste because sugar or jaggery is often added to vegetables and dal.

Gujarati food is cooked in special ways. Some dishes are stir-fried, while others are steam-cooked. Vegetables and spices or dal are boiled, and then a vaghar (fried spices) is added to make them taste even better.

Popular Gujarati Vegetarian Dishes

Breads and Flatbreads

Bajri no rotlo, a thick millet flatbread

• Rotla (બાજરીનો રોટલો): A thick flatbread made from millet flour, often cooked over coals.
• Makai no rotlo: A thick flatbread made from corn flour, also cooked over coals.
• Bhakri: Made with whole wheat flour, thicker than Rotli.
• Phulka rotli: Also called rotli or chapati, this is a thin, puffed flatbread made from whole wheat flour.
• Juvar no rotlo: A thick sorghum flatbread.
• Parotha: A shallow-fried whole wheat flatbread.
• Puri: A deep-fried flatbread made from whole wheat flour.
• Thepla/dhebra: Pan-fried flatbreads made from a mix of flours, mildly spiced, and often with shredded vegetables.
• Poodla: A sweet, pan-fried flatbread made from a mix of flours.
• Rajgira ni puri

Rice Dishes

Besides plain rice, Gujarati cuisine has many rice-based dishes:

• Biranj: Steamed rice flavored with saffron, sugar, and dried fruit.
• Khatta-mittha bhaat: Sour and sweet rice, cooked with potatoes and spices.
• Doodhpak: A sweet rice pudding made by boiling rice with milk and sugar. It's flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios, or almonds, and served as a dessert.
• Khichdi: A comforting dish of rice and dal (lentils), cooked like porridge. It's often eaten with ghee (clarified butter), dahi (yogurt), and pickle.
• Pulao: Rice cooked with vegetables.
• Khichu: A thick, dough-like dish made from rice flour heated with water, salt, green chillies, and cumin.
• Sabudana Khichadi
• Fada ni khichdi

Vegetable Curries (Shaak)

Shaak are vegetable dishes, and there are many kinds!

• Bateta nu shaak: Potato curry.
• Bharela Ringan: Stuffed dry eggplant.
• Bhinda nu shaak: Dry okra curry.
• Dudhi nu shaak: Bottle gourd curry.
• Kadhi: A tangy or sweet curry made from buttermilk and gram flour.

Gujarati Kadhi, a popular yogurt-based curry

• Karela nu shaak: Bitter gourd curry.
• Kobi bateta nu shaak: Cabbage and potato curry.
• Mag nu shaak: Mung bean curry.
• Methi nu shaak: Fenugreek leaves curry.
• Ringan no oro: Roasted eggplant mashed curry.
• Sev tameta nu shaak: Curry made of tomatoes and sev (crispy noodles).
• Undhiyu: A special mixed vegetable casserole. It's traditionally cooked upside down in earthen pots. This dish uses winter vegetables like green beans, unripe banana, and purple yam. It's cooked in a spicy curry that sometimes includes coconut. Surti Undhiyu is a famous version served with puri at weddings. This dish is very popular and many Gujarati families eat it at least once a year during Makar Sankranti.
• Dal dhokli

Side Dishes (Farsan)

Farsan are delicious side dishes or snacks.

Khaman, a popular steamed snack

Handvo, a savory cake

• Dabeli: Bread stuffed with a spicy mix.
• Bhajiya: Deep-fried savory snacks, like pakora.
• Dhokla: Steamed cakes made from rice flour, light and fluffy.
• Handvo: A savory steamed cake made from rice flour, beans, and yogurt.
• Kachori: A deep-fried dumpling filled with spicy yellow moong dal.
• Khaman: Steamed cakes made from gram flour, often topped with green chili pepper and cilantro.
• Khandvi: Thin rolls made of gram flour and dahi (yogurt), topped with mustard seeds and coconut.

Khandvi, a popular Gujarati snack

• Muthia: Steamed dumplings made of gram flour and fenugreek.
• Pani puri: A crispy, hollow flatbread filled with potato and chickpeas, then filled with flavored water.
• Sev khamani: Grated khaman topped with crispy sev.
• samosa

Snacks (Nasta)

• Chavanu: A mix of fried snacks.
• Chakri: A spiral-shaped crispy snack.
• Fafda: Crispy, long strips made from gram flour.
• Ganthiya: Another type of crispy snack.
• Khakhra: Thin, crispy roasted flatbreads.
• Sev mamra: Puffed rice mixed with crispy sev.
• Khaman
• Mathiya
• Suvari or sweet puri

Dal (Pulses)

• Gujarati Daal: A sweet and sour lentil soup.
• Moong Dal: Lentil soup made from moong beans.
• Gujarati kadhi
• Mix dal

Sweets (Mithai)

Gujarati sweets are very popular!

Sukhadi, a traditional sweet

Jalebi, a popular fried sweet

• Keri no ras: Fresh mango pulp.
• Basundi: Sweetened condensed milk.
• Ghari
• Jalebi: A sweet, crispy, spiral-shaped fried dessert.
• Magas (or Magaj): A sweet made from gram flour and ghee.
• Sukhadi: A simple sweet made from wheat flour, jaggery, and ghee.

Mohanthal, a famous Gujarati sweet

• Mohanthar/Mohanthal: A delicious gram flour fudge.
• Penda: Sweet milk-based fudge.
• Shrikhand: A sweet yogurt dessert.
• Lapsi: A sweet dish made from broken wheat.
• Doodhpak: Rice pudding.
• Gulab jambu: Sweet, fried milk solids balls soaked in syrup.

Condiments

These add extra flavor to meals.

• Chutney: A sauce, often spicy or tangy.
• Raita: A yogurt-based side dish.
• Athanu: Pickles.
• Papadi: Crispy flatbreads.
• Kachu: A simple salad.
• Chhundo: A sweet and spicy mango pickle.
• Chhas: Buttermilk.

Spices and Seasonings

Spices are key to Gujarati flavors!

• Kokum: A sour fruit used for flavor.
• Aambli: Tamarind, used for its sour taste.
• Gor: Jaggery, used for sweetness.
• Hardar: Turmeric powder, gives yellow color.
• Kothmir: Coriander Leaves.
• Elaichi: Cardamom.
• Garam Masala: A mix of dry, roasted, and powdered spices.
• Hing: Asafoetida, used for its strong flavor.
• Rai: Mustard seed.
• Jeeru: Cumin.
• Lilu marchu: Green chilli.
• Lal marchu: Cayenne pepper.
• Methi: Fenugreek (leaves and seeds).
• Phoodino: Mint.
• Soonth: Ginger powder.
• Laving: Cloves.
• Mitho limbdo: Curry leaves.
• Dhana: Coriander seeds.
• Singadana: Ground Nuts.
• Taj: Cinnamon.
• Jaiphal: Nutmeg.
• Variyali: Fennel seeds.
• Kara mari: Black peppercorns.
• Sanchal: Black salt.
• Amchur: Dried mango powder.