Haryanvi cuisine is like the people of Haryana – simple, earthy and inextricably linked to the land. In Haryana, the emphasis is on food that is wholesome, fresh and prepared with little or no fuss at all. Food always evolves out of a certain cultural context. The simpler the culture or civilisation, so is the cuisine which is uncomplicated and essentially implies sustenance. Haryana with its essentially agrarian culture has retained simplicity in its cuisine.

The ‘Land of Rotis’ is an apt title for Haryana, as people are fond of eating different kinds of rotis here. Wheat rotis are common and so are baajre ki roti. In earlier times, rotis would be made from a flour of wheat, gram and barley, a truly nutritious and healthy combination. Then there is the gochini atta made from wheat and gram flour. However with the rising price of gram and barley, people prefer the comparatively cheaper wheat flour, a loss both in terms of taste and nutrients.

Haryana is well known for its cattle wealth and is the home of the famous Murrah buffalo and the Haryana cow. No wonder there is an abundance of milk and milk products in Haryanvi cuisine. People make butter and ghee at home and use these liberally in their daily diet. Homemade fresh butter is called nooni or tindi ghee and is churned daily in most homes. It is customary for a girl’s family to give her gifts of ghee (clarified butter), gondh (edible gum), laddus (a sweetmeat made of gram flour) and dry fruits when she becomes a mother. Buttermilk, chaaj is a favourite drink and is an instant cooler for summers. Lassi made from yoghurt is another popular drink, almost a meal in itself. The Haryanvi’s love for lassi can be gauged from the fact that thandai, a sweet, milk based drink is called kachi lassi in Haryana.

Some of the famous dishes from the cuisine of Haryana are :

• Kachri Ki Sabzi
• Singri Ki Sabzi
• Hara Dhania Cholia
• Methi Gajjar
• Kadhi Pakora
• Mixed Dal
• Khichri
• Bathua Raita
• Tamatar Chutney
• Besan Masala Roti-Makhan
• Bajra Aloo Roti-Makhan
• Bhura Roti-Ghee
• Mithe Chawal
• Kheer
• Churma
• Malpuas

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Haryana

Haryana being an agricultural state, women also work with men in the fields; hence crafts have not evolved into art forms and remain rooted to their original usage. Nevertheless, the arts and crafts never cease to fascinate the true art connoisseurs.

Art and craft of Haryana mainly covers the range of pottery, embroidery and weaving. Colourful Phulkari dupatta of Haryana is famous in India and abroad. Art and craft of Haryana also include sculpture and murals both of Persian and Mughal style. Woven furniture, artistic sheet metal work, wooden bead making, zari & tilla jutti (leather footwear), lace work, bone carving, wood carving are some of the artistic craft that Haryana is known for.

Panipat in Haryana is famous for its handloom tradition, especially rugs and upholstery fabric that is the reason why it is known as a major textile town in India.

Haryana is famous for two types of woven furniture Mudhas (round stools) and chairs made of sarkanda (a reed) from Farookh Nagar and pidhis from Soniepat which are essentially wooden stools with seat woven in cotton threads or sutli.

One of the interesting items made at Jhijjar is pitcher made from clay. Interestingly, the clay gives a sweet taste to the water stored in the pitcher.

Craft cluster division of Haryana

When in Haryana, one can actually get a whiff of the folk tales. There are thousands of folk tales and hundreds of legends circulating in the air of Haryana. One cannot see the characters of the story but can feel their presence around.

Enjoy reading this folk talke and feel the rustic touch of Haryana!

There once lived a cunning and crafty man in a small village. He always used to make money through deceit. “Why should I work when I have the ability to deceive others!” he would think.

One day, the cunning man went to a foolish farmer and said, “I have a huge property that I am not able to take care of. I want to sell some of my land. Would you like to buy it?” The farmer was in need of land, so he said, “Yes, but first I would like to see the land.” “Sure!” said the cunning man, and led the farmer to a huge field.

At one end of the field there was a hut and a well. “The hut and well are also for sale,” said the cunning man. “But the well is the most expensive of all.”

The farmer was surprised and asked, “What is so special about this well?” “It’s called ‘silver well’,” was the reply from the cunning man. “There is a lot of silver down there.”

Then he took the farmer to the well and pulled out a bucketful of silver, which he had arranged for beforehand. “See…” he said, “every time you pull out the bucket, you will get silver! That’s why this well is the most expensive.”

The farmer was thrilled! “If I buy this well, all my financial problems will be solved forever,” he thought. Then asked, “How much will it cost?” “The original price is 100 gold coins, but I shall reduce it 75, just for you, friend!” The foolish farmer felt it wasn’t a bad bargain and decided to buy the well. He went home to get the money. The cunning man followed him and waited outside his house.

The farmer’s wife was an intelligent woman, “I doubt this story of the ‘silver well’,” she said to the farmer. “Before giving away our entire savings, we must seek advice from some wise men of the village.”

The farmer agreed. He went to the cunning man and said politely, “Please give me a day’s time to arrange for the money. You can come tomorrow morning; I shall keep it ready.”

Feeling happy that the farmer was trapped, the cunning man went away. Then, the farmer went to a wise man and asked for his opinion. “Silver Well!” the wise man exclaimed. “Tomorrow when the man comes to your house, ask him to give it to you in writing that the silver well belongs to him and that he is selling it to you for 75 gold coins. If he refuses to write the receipt then tell him that will pay only 10 gold coins. If he is a genuine seller, he will give you the receipt. If he is a crook, he will agree to sell the well for 10 gold coins.” Taking the tips from the wise man, the farmer returned home.

The next morning when the cunning man arrived, the farmer said, “I am ready to buy the silver well, but you must write on a piece of paper that it belongs to you, that it produces silver, and that you are selling it to me for 75 gold coins.” Hearingthis, the cunning man was alarmed! “Err…hhh….I am giving you my word, dear friend! Isn’t that enough?” he said. “All right, if you can’t give to me in waiting then I shall pay you only 10 gold coins. Will that be fine?” asked the farmer. “Oh….ah…why yes…sure!” said the cunning man, still happy that he will get at least 10 gold coins.

Now the farmer was sure that the man was trying to deceive him. He caught the cunning man and handed him over to the strong men of the village.

The cunning man got a sound thrashing and was chased out of the village. Never again did he dare to deceive anyone.