Western Indian Food and Cuisine

Pork Vindaloo
Paul Poplis/Photolibrary/Getty Images

The western region of India includes the following states: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Goa. Rajasthan and Gujarat have hot, dry climates, so the relatively smaller variety of vegetables available are preserved as pickles and chutneys. 

Geographical and Cultural Influence on the Regions Cuisine 

Culturally these states are largely Hindu and vegetarian. Parts of cosmopolitan Maharashtra are coastal, and parts arid, and the food varies accordingly.


Style of Food 

This region probably has the most diverse styles of food in India. Rajasthani food is spicy and largely vegetarian but includes many delicious meat dishes like Laal Maas (red meat curry) while Gujarat’s cuisine is known for its slight sweet touch (at least a pinch of sugar is added to most dishes!) and is traditionally entirely vegetarian.

Thaali (a large plate) is the Gujarati style of eating, and a meal can consist of as many as 10 different vegetable dishes, rice, chapati (Indian bread) and sweets! The Gujaratis love a snack and cook a huge variety of them. These are collectively known as Farsan.


Goan food is rich, piquant and strongly flavored by coconut, red chilies, and vinegar.

Staple Foods

In Gujarat and Rajasthan corn, lentils and gram flour, dry red chilies, buttermilk, yoghurt, sugar, and nuts; in Maharashtra, fish, rice, coconut and peanuts and Goa fish, pork and rice.

Cooking Oils Commonly Used 

Vegetable oils like sunflower, canola and peanut oil and ghee.

Important Spices and Ingredients 

Dry red chilies, sugar, sesame seeds, coconut, nuts, vinegar, fish, pork….

Popular Dishes
