Rajasthan on A Platter- Healthy Tasty Easy

Rajasthan on a Platter: Healthy Tasty. Easy offers a wide, select and unique variety of traditional and tasty but simple homemade recipes. It transfers homegrown knowledge to the young generation and caters to multicultural readership. Each recipe has been combined with supplementary food items to present the concept of a tasty, wholesome and nutritious meal. They focus on a fast-changing society where 'snacking' is replacing full sit-down meals and 'finger food' and 'quick bites' fulfill the purpose of a light dinner. The dishes add plenty of nutritive value to the diet and cater to the eating habits and fast lifestyle of the multi-tasking generation.

Suman Bhatnagar had completed her M.Sc., M.A. and Ph.D. from MS University, Baroda, Udaipur University and Gujarat University respectively. She was associated with teaching, research and extension at College of Home Science, and Directorate of Extension Education, Agriculture University, Udaipur for 20 years. She has worked as Project Officer (Education) with UNICEF, India for two decades and represented India in many countries. She is committed to render her services for ensuring the rights of children and empowerment of women. She is also writing books and articles in magazines and newspapers. Travelling is her passion and she enjoys writing about her experiences.

Pushpa Gupta did her M.Sc. and Ph.D. from MS University, Baroda and Gujarat University, Ahmedabad respectively. She had been associated with teaching, research and extension at College of Home Science for 39 years. Pushpa Gupta was head of the department and Dean of College of Home Science. She has several books and research papers to her credit and has received a national award for farm women empowerment. She is associated with NGOS for social work and also contributes articles For magazines.

Rajasthan is the largest state of India and constitutes 5.67% of the country's population. It Raja has 33 districts with different agro-climatic zones. The region's indigenous food items like certain kinds of cereals, pulses, vegetables and fruits, as well as oil seeds and milk are produced in different zones and are usually consumed by the local population residing in that particular region of the state. Rajasthanis honour tradition-the realms of food, clothing, culture, social and religious customs and practices continue more or less as per age-old tradition. So people prefer to eat familiar home food, prepared in the traditional home kitchen and generally do not exchange regional variations of culinary traditions even within the different agro-climatic zones of the state. Bhujia, namkeen and papad-the daal or besan-based dry snacks of Rajasthan are popular all over India and abroad. The Rajasthani people have a sweet tooth, hence fresh supplies of a variety of mithais (sweets) is available in every city and village in the state.

I Pushpa wish to congratulate the two learned Professors of Maharana Pratap University of Gupta for their publication titled Rajasthan on a Platter: Healthy, Tasty, Easy. The publication is a testimony to their deep interest and decades of experience in teaching and researching issues concerning cuisine and nutrition with a focus on our state of Rajasthan.

**Contents and Sample Pages**