Protecting royalty

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Unwavering in her gaze, Maharani Hemlata Rajye looks you straight in the eye and says, “I don’t like cooking.” “I’d much rather not cook,” she continues. So it comes as a great surprise that the Maharani of Jodhpur is engaged in the daunting task of preserving the culinary heritage of her kingdom. Her stoicism immediately melts and she answers, “What is old must never die. These old recipes must be preserved and saved for those who will come next. What is available in the land of Rajasthan cannot be changed. And these recipes make the best use of what is grown on our soil.”
Travelling with a retinue of two women who are her close friends and aides in the project, Maharani Hemlata travels across the country to give people a sample of the royal Rajasthani cuisine. “The food we make is quintessentially Rajasthani and the typical food of the Marwaris.” Some of the dishes include delights like bajri and vegetable ka soyata, makki ka sogara and lasun ki chutney. The royal family enjoys its delectable taste only out of a desire to sample the simple food of the common folk. Rani Vimla Kumari, one of the Maharani’s culinary experts, says, “The kings enjoyed meat and consumed the local millets along with their shikar.”
The Maharani believes that millet is one local ingredient that has stood the test of time, in both royal and common kitchens. “The millets cannot be removed from our diet. We consume them with yogurt, chach or lassi. It’s simple, delicious yet exotic. Another tradition that has remained is the extensive use of garlic and onions, that keep us cool in the hot clime that we inhabit,” says Maharani Hemlata.
However, the Maharani bemoans the arrival of tandoori chicken in the royal kitchens of Jodhpur. She says, “Our home has been converted into a hotel and with it, the demand for local delights has faded. There is demand for Punjabi food and cuisines that are not local. My endeavour is to make sure that our culinary heritage never loses out to these exports.”