Jabalpur is a wonderful and intriguing town on the Narmada basin of Madhya Pradesh. It is a big urban centre with lots of industries having their base in this region. The food of Jabalpur is influenced by a number of factors like British history, topography of the region and the available resources. The cuisine has seen the marks of Mughlai style, Rajasthani recipes and Gujarati way of cooking. Jabalpur cuisine is said to be rich, spicy and creamy. The hospitality of the region is unmatched and visitors and guests visiting this town will be warmly welcomed by the local people, who sometimes may even invite you into their house for a hearty conversation and a meal.

• Khopra Pak: – The Khopra Pak is a delicious sweet of this region, which has become pretty famous. It is a lightly flavoured coconut based dessert, which is flavoured by the addition of cardamom and saffron. The key ingredient, which gives a soft texture and sweet taste, is the ‘mawa’ or thickened sweet milk.
• Pilaf with Peas and Carrots: – A distinct local take on pulao, Pilaf with peas and carrot is a unique dish found in the region of Jabalpur. Long and aromatic basmati rice, cooked along with light spices like bay leaves, cumin seeds, whole cloves with chopped garlic and onions. The peas and carrots are the crown pieces of the dish, which give it the final touches of flavour to it. It is eaten with raitha on the side.
• Seekh Kebab: – Kebabs of Madhya Pradesh are well known and particularly Seekh Kebab around Jabalpur is frequently recommended. Minced mutton is rolled into sausage-shaped pieces after mixing with a number of spices and vegetables. It is then grilled or cooked in a tandoor after being basted with butter. They are crunchy on the outside and soft, moist and chewy on the inside.
• Sabudana Khichidi: – Sabudana Khichdi is the popular and frequently eaten local version of Khichdi. Sabudana is nothing, but the local name for Tapioca Pearls, which is used as a substitution for rice in the Khichdi recipe. Coarsely powdered and roasted peanuts with salt and sugar give it the texture and taste. The dish is spiced up with heated oil, cumin seeds and a bit of chopped green chilli.
• Malpua: – Malpua is a sweet dish that has an origin in the Bengali speaking regions of India and Bangladesh. There are many variants of this dessert, which differ from region to region and Jabalpur has its own spin on Malpua. Here it takes the shape of a pancake, which is prepared from the mixture of milk, flour, semolina and curd.
• Rabdi: – Rabdi is a sweet dish, which is made out of flour and has curd as a base ingredient. It is, usually, an accompaniment with rotis, which are made from Bajra. It also serves as the base ingredient of several sweet dishes. Salty and spicy version of rabdi also exists. It is a frequently eaten sweet in Jabalpur.
• Chicken Samosa: – Chicken Samosa is a non-vegetarian fried snack that has great demand in Jabalpur region. A flour shell is filled with spices and chicken meat stuffing. The preparation is then deep fried until brown and hard and is eaten with chutneys. Sometimes it is enjoyed after being mashed and extra liquid masala is added on top.
• Khoye ki Jalebi: – Jalebis are available everywhere, but Khoye ki Jalebi has a different recipe giving a taste unlike any of those. The recipe uses thickened milk and dipped in sugar syrup. Rosewater is also added to the Jalebis gives them very strong and attractive aroma and slightly changed taste. Get them in local sweet stalls.