RELISHING RAJASTHAN
Despite all my reading up on the place, I simply wasn’t prepared for Rajasthan. How could I have been? That unending horizon of burnt orange; the sudden flash of saffron and deep blue saris on the edge of dun-hued roads; camels accessorized with henna tattoos and beaded bridles; crimsonrobed sadhus (holy men) who lingered outside temples and stared up at the sun. I’d never seen, let alone imagined, a land so enigmatic and exotic.
And then there’s the food: the soft creamy hues of dhal, the charred perfume of deep purple eggplants crackling on an open flame, the dark wheat breads still warm and smoked from the tandoor. As I would learn during my stay at a clutch of royal residences turned bijou hotels, Rajasthan’s cuisine is not only incredibly spiced, but it also carries the deep imprint of geography and history.
