Eating your way through Jaipur's old city markets

The Pink City is easy to reduce to forts and palaces, but a lot of what makes Jaipur worth a repeat visit is edible. The old city's bazaars — Johari, Bapu, Chandpole — aren't just for shopping. Walk them slowly and hungry.

A walking food route

• Start at Rawat Mishthan Bhandar for pyaaz kachori — go before 10am, it sells out of the fresh batch fast.
• Cut through Johari Bazaar towards Badi Chaupar, stopping for a plate of raj kachori if you still have room.
• Chandpole for ghewar, especially if you're visiting anywhere near Teej or Rakhi — the season it's traditionally made.
• End at a lassi stall near Sireh Deori Bazaar — thick enough to eat with a spoon, served in a clay kulhad.

Beyond the classics

Dal baati churma is the dish most associated with Rajasthan, and it's worth having at least once at a proper thali place rather than a hotel restaurant — the baati should be cracked open and doused in ghee at the table, not pre-crumbled.

If you're there in winter, look out for gajak and til papdi from any of the sweet shops lining Tripolia Bazaar — a seasonal treat that doesn't show up much outside a few winter months.

Pace yourself — this isn't a route to rush. Half a day, a genuine appetite, and no fixed itinerary works better than trying to tick off every stall on a list.