In India, eating is not just about sating a hungry stomach. It’s about taking the time to prepare a varied meal and presenting it in an aesthetically pleasing way. According to Hindu scriptures there are three forces that influence food’s nutrition: pathra shuddhi, the cleanliness of the cooking vessels, paka shuddhi, the chef’s cleanliness and mental attitude, and pachaka shuddhi, the quality of ingredients. Because “you are what you eat,” Hindus believe that these three shuddhis, or purities, directly transfer to the eater.

At the Shahpura Palace we experienced a perfect balance.

At Dhonk, a women’s craft cooperative in Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) we had a vegetarian lunch.

Street vendors make the presentation of their produce an aesthetic experience.

We loved the red carrots.

We saw acres upon acres of mustard plants. Mustard greens, seeds, oil, and the chaff are important in daily life, providing delicious dishes, spice, cooking oil, and as fuel and building material when the chaff is mixed with cow dung.

Raj, our guide, shows us the mustard oil which is the main cooking oil as well as for cosmetic uses for the hair and skin.

A man is weighing out fenugreek, a popular Indian green and spice, at an open air green market.

Approach the hot peppers with caution.

A huge array of spices and hot peppers are a constant.

Although vegetarianism is the basis of Indian cooking, goat, lamb and chicken are eaten in Northern India.

This woman is showing the grain that she will grind into flour for bread, which is served at all the meals.

We had a cooking lesson. Here Damidaa (a guide from Mongolia) tries out his “flipping the poori” technique.

Milk is perhaps the most important food source in India, providing the basis for buttermilk, cottage cheese (paneer), butter, yogurt, ghee (clarified butter) and the popular lasso drinks. The milk is rich and frothy.  Holy cows indeed.

Early every morning the milkmen come with their fresh milk and set up shop outside the main gate of Jaipur’s Old City.

This man took his morning drink of milk.

The masala tea maker is ever present in the streets. This photo was taken in Shahpura.

Peanut Chicki is sold in the streets.

This woman’s little salads looked good but one can’t get too bold when it comes to your stomach in India.

This tandoori chicken was a most inviting street food.