Food and Emotion: Exploring Culinary Imagery and Cultural Expression in Rajasthani Folk Songs

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_5How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Culture; Food; Folk Songs; Rajasthan

Abstract

Rajasthan holds an important place among the states of India because of its rich and eventful cultural past. The cultural aspects of the state are of great interest to people not only in India but across the world. A lot has been written about its glorious history, its unique architecture, its colourful folk music and delectable cuisines. Most importantly, for anyone travelling to Rajasthan, words like Gatte, sangri, Dal baati become an integral part of their stay and the process of acclimatising with its social and cultural vibes.

The food and hospitality in Rajasthan go hand in hand, since food is considered a medium of bonding among strangers and also helps them feel more natural and comfortable in their surroundings. While the hospitality in Rajasthan is considered to be one of the finest in the country, its folk songs are no less in bringing it to the fore with their meaningful lyrics and semi-classical compositions. They cherish the green fields of the state, the bittersweet relationships, the strong marital bonds and of course, food and its sumptuousness. We have many songs, where we find reference to food as a means of wooing or appeasement. The frequent mention of popular and exquisite Rajasthani dishes in these folk songs evokes the feeling of love and bonding because of the context in which they are used. They add to the language of love and affection in the songs.

The paper attempts to highlight these food expressions and their relevance in Rajasthani folk songs as an essential cultural element. By analysing representative folk songs, this study explores how food serves as a vital cultural element that sustains identity and fosters human connection in the Rajasthani socio-cultural milieu.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Divya Walia
AU  - Namita Singh
AU  - Sucharita Sharma
AU  - Divya Joshi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
TI  - Food and Emotion: Exploring Culinary Imagery and Cultural Expression in Rajasthani Folk Songs
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Food Studies: Intersections of Culture, Science and Sustainability (ICEFS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 35
EP  - 47
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_5
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-583-6_5
ID  - Walia2026
ER  -