Vibrant Gujarat has a lot to offer to a lover of vegetarian cuisine. Culinary art of Gujarat is well defined and reflect the nature of the people here. Food here is simple, graceful and yet very down to earth. Most remarkable feature of Gujarati cuisine and that which makes it outstanding amongst the rest of north Indian vegetarian food is its inherent subtlety and texture.
Food is not over-cooked in Gujarati cooking which helps to retain the flavour and texture of the component vegetables in a 'shaak' (sabzi) and also in 'kathol' (pulses). A good Gujarati Maharaj (cook) also makes subtle use of spices to keep the integral taste of the vegetables which otherwise gets lost in the mix of spices.
However, the greatest contribution of Gujarati cuisine to the rest of the country are a huge variety of scrumptious snacks. Known as 'Farsan' in Gujarat (the word that denotes savoury and lives up to its meaning), constitutes an essential part of the Gujarati meal. These snacks are not very oily and very rich in taste. These are often complimented by spicy chutneys and hot pickles.
Staple food of the people is wheat here and rotalis (roti) prepared from it is an integral part of the meals. Consumption of bajra and jowar is rampant in winter season. Rice is also a staple diet of the people in some regions. Vegetarianism is mainly practiced in Gujarat largely due to the influence of Jainism.