Gujarati’s welcomes you with the very kind word “Aavo Padharo” these words ring true and the guest is ‘God’. The people of Gujarat are friendly in nature, inviting and will attract you to visit again and again.
SOMETHING ABOUT GUJARAT:
Gujarat stands bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, the Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west.
Gujarat is also known as the home state of Mahatma Gandhi – the Father of Nation. Gujarat is renowned for its beaches, temple towns, wildlife sanctuaries, hill resorts and historic capitals. Sculpture, handicrafts, arts, festivals also make the state rich. In Gujarat, the fairs and festivals are full of enthusiasm, entertainment and spirituality. The prime language of Gujarat is ‘Gujarati’ and also know other languages like Hindi and English.
Gujarat has always been a major centre for the Jains and some of its most interesting locations are the Jain Temple centres at Palitana and Girnar Hills. Besides the Jain temples, the state’s major attractions include the only habitat of the Asiatic Lions in India (Gir Forests), a desert ride at the Wild Ass Sanctuary and the beautiful Indo-Saracenic Architecture of Ahmedabad. The colourful tribal villages of Kutch make a visit unforgettable.
MUSIC & DANCE OF GUJARAT
Gujarati folk music consists of a wide variety. The Barot, Charan and Gadhvi communities has preserved and enriched the folk tradition of storytelling with or without music. This includes the forms of Doha, Sorathaa, Chhand, etc. The omnipresent instruments in Gujarati folk music include wind instruments, such as turi, bungal, and pava, string instruments, such as the ravan hattho, ektaro, and jantar and percussion instruments, such as the manjira and zanz pot drum.
The songs and music accompanying traditional dance forms such as Garba, Dandiya Raas, Padhar, Dangi and Tippani are unique in nature. Dayro and Lokvarta are music performances where people gather to listen performer who delivers religious as well as social message through it. Marasiyas are elegiac form of music originated from Marsiya. Fattanna or Lagna-geets are light form of song and music played during marriages. Bhavai and Akhyana are folk musical theatre performed in Gujarat.
Gujarat is quite famous and well known for its dynamic traditions of classical and folk music. They are the core of Gujarat. The standard lifestyle of Gujaratis with their traditional music and dancing type of Garba, Garbi, Raas and other are well known and finds fascination to visitors. Raas and Garba dancing forms are said to have been passed on by Lord Krishna, who spent his childhood at Gokul while he performed the flute. The folk costume of this dance is chaniya choli for women and kedia for men. Different styles and steps of garba include dodhiyu, simple five, simple seven, popatiyu, trikoniya (hand movement which forms an imagery triangle), lehree, tran taali, butterfly, hudo, two claps and many more. Sheri garba is one of the oldest form of garba where all the women wear red patola sari and sing along while dancing. It is a very graceful form of garba.
CUISINE OF GUJARAT
“Surat Nu Jaman Ane Kashi Nu Maran” a popular saying in Gujarati which means dining at Surat and dying at Varanasi, is the way to heaven. One of the thrills of traveling to Gujarat is its multi-cuisine. Perhaps the best way to know a state is to cut to the heart of the extraordinary culture of Gujarat by exploring its cuisine.
The people of Gujarat have perfected the art of vegetarian cooking and their cuisine is delectable and mouth-watering. To taste the excellent vegetarian Gujarati cuisine is to have a Thali Meal – the ultimate delightful vegetarian fare. The traditional Gujarati Thali is one of the best ways to know the Gujarati Cuisine. Saurashtra’s typical seasonings – mustard seed, turmeric, pounded red chilies, cumin and coriander – flavor Gujarat’s distinctive vegetarian cuisine.
There are also seasonal specialties – Aamraas (Mango Pool) is commonly served in summer while Undhiyu which has roast vegetables and Muthias (veg kebabs) is characteristically had in January.
Besides vegetarian dishes, the Muslim community, the tribal groups like Bohras and Khojas offer special non-vegetarian cuisine. And also Saurashtra’s garlic spice mixture – a combination of garlic, red chilies and salt pounded together, which adds extra peps to a lot of Gujarati foods. Many Gujarati dishes are distinctively sweet, salty and spicy at the same time.
GUJARATI THALI
A Gujarati thali typically comprises of one or two steamed or fried snacks called farsans, a green vegetable, a tuber or a gourd shaak (shaaks are main courses with vegetables and spices mixed together into a curry or a spicy dry dish), a kathol (braised pulses like beans, chickpea or dry peas), one or more yogurt dishes like dahi, kadhi (yogurt and pulses soup), raita or sweet shrikhand, rice or khichdi, daal usually toor dal, and sweets like halwas, basundi or shrikhand. Accompaniments include sweet, sour and spicy chutneys, pickles, ghee and a salad of chopped vegetables served raw or may be steamed in spices. Much detailing goes into creating a balance of tastes and textures – you could have coarse, grainy, granular, smooth, uniform, dry and wet dishes on the same platter, the sweetness, bitterness, sourness and heat of each main course would vary between dishes, and the thali has more colours than a rainbow – the yellow of turmeric, the whiteness of dairy products, the redness of tomatos, the green of leafy vegetables, the brown of pulses, and the colours of various spices, relishes and salad vegetables, are harmoniously part of a single thali.
The breads eaten with a thali would include thick and coarse bajra rotla, thin unleavened wheat rotlis, thick and crisp whole wheat flour rotis called bakhris, parathas, savoury griddle bread called the thepla, deep-fried puris, among others. There are many variations like methi thepla or masala puri within these breads. As Gujaratis are globe-trotters, with a large Gujarati Diaspora overseas and around India as well as being great travellers on holiday or pilgrimage around the world, there are many Gujarati farsans, snacks and mini-meals that are designed to travel and keep well – for instance khakras are crisp wafer-like rotis made from wheat, cornflour or lentils that can be carried and eaten with vegetables or accompaniments or dhebras made from a mix of flours can travel better than rotlis.
Farsan, Dal, Shak & Kathol
Intrinsic to a traditional Gujarati meal, dal, shaak and kathol hold the promise of a bounty of flavors, aromas and a unique eating experience. The balance of colors and textures of the main course is richly enhanced by the side portions of the pickle and salad and some spiced buttermilk.
Khandvi | Handavo | Khaman | Khichu | Dabeli | Fafda | Khakhra | Ganthiya | Patra | Lilo Chevdo | Gujarati Dal | Undhiyu
The Millets (Khichdi and Breads)
From the many delightful avatars of the humble khichdi, that onepot tasty, wholesome, easy-to make meal — to the range of flours and stuffings that go into making those many variants of breads, the Gujarati kitchen is as versatile and creative as it can get for these daily staples for meals or snacks.
Thepla | Rotlo | Juwar Rotlo | Nagli Rotla
Festival & Seasonal Fare
From the elaborately prepared Undhiyu and the five-veg medley Panchkutiyu Shaak, from the crunchy Cholafali to the festive Ghooghra — Gujarat’s culinary calendar is adorned with a fabulous range of seasonal and festive dishes that engage the palate and delight the heart.
Aam Ras | Ghooghra
Mishthaan
Rather than wait impatiently for its arrival as the last course, the Gujarati palate has long become accustomed to savouring the delights of mishthaan or dessert as an integral part of its main meal on the thali. So, be it the light-as-air Shrikhand or summer favourite Keri no Ras… there’s no deserting the Gujarati mishthaan anytime soon.
Basundi | Shrikhand | Fada ni Lapsi