Many dhabas originated along the highways in Punjab in the mid-20th century to serve hungry truck drivers and eventually started opening in cities throughout the area. The ones in Amritsar, however, were always deemed to be far superior to the rest. As a Punjabi growing up in New Delhi, I heard constant stories from my family over the hearty and often heart-clogging meals characteristic of our sect about the dhaba feasts to be had in Amritsar, and I recently decided to take a trip to taste the supposedly supreme versions of the dishes that are an integral part of my roots.

Although each dhaba has its own specialties, there are similarities: Most of them have been around for a half-century or more and are family-run — actually, make that male-run, often with two or three generations of fathers and sons working together. And they have cultish followings because the dishes are authentic, not inventive, using so much ghee (clarified butter) that even the most traditional French cook would blush.

My primary concern about my ambitious tour was whether my stomach would hold up given the American standards of hygiene I have become accustomed to, having lived in the United States for more than 25 years. But Rashmi Uday Singh, the Mumbai-based food writer who is a judge on the Indian series “The Foodie Show” and who filmed an episode about Amritsar dhabas, eased my fears. “The thing about dhabas is that they usually have no fridges and buy only enough ingredients every morning that they will use in a day so everything is very fresh,” she said.