FOOD / TRAVEL SPECIAL ….Indian sweet tooth

Indian sweet tooth 

Before, after or during a meal, the Indian sweet plays an integral role in the dining experience

    It’s festival time and this means celebrations, parties and a whole lot of good food. What better time to delve into India’s varied cuisines than now! Whether it’s Ganeshotsav, Dusshera or Diwali, sweets play a pivotal role in the celebrations and bring a joyous flavour to the occasions. Imagine a Durga Puja without the platters of Bengali sweets like rasgulla and sandesh... or a Ganeshotsav sans the boondi laddoos and modaks. Not possible! While state-wise, meals may vary with preferences for vegetarian, meat and fish, one part of the dining experience remains the same — the sweet. North India’s barfis are available in a variety of flavours from the traditional pista and almond to the new chocolate and black currant are a treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. South Indian sweets, on the other hand, are often made with coconut, flour and a variety of dals. Kerala’s version of kheer known as payasam is made during festivals like Onam. To the East, Bengal is probably the leader in sweet meats with cham cham, rasabali and a variety of sandesh among their popular items. In West India, Gujarat is known for its milk sweets like doodhpak and mawa halwa. Rajasthan’s sohan halwas are a local favourite along with ghewar and sohan papdi. With all this sweetness, don’t forget to try out all these dishes in proportion. After all, you don’t want to weigh down the scales because of those third helpings of gulab jamun!

 

SUGAR, SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE
Happen to be visiting a particular destination in India? Here are a list of the sweets you must indulge in.

Kashmir: Kashmiri sweet and dessert dishes have a generous amount of saffron added to them and in addition to almonds, walnuts, raisins and other dry fruits. These ingredients make not only good sweets but also leave a memorable experience for those who eat them. Kashmiri sweet dishes include modur polav, khir, firun, shufta, shier chay, kehwa, roath, taza meva takrim travith, suji halwa, gazeri halwa, taza meva ranith, sonthi, modur chunth, simmi halwa, simmi khir, etc.

Gujarat: The state has a booming milk industry, so it’s no surprise that Gujarat’s sweet meats are most often made from cream, mewa and milk. Kansar is a sweet dessert dish made of cracked wheat and jaggery. Serving kansar to guests is considered a sign of respect in Gujarati culture, and the dish plays a part in most traditional wedding ceremonies. Other sweet meats include kaju katli, malpua, doodhpak, gaajar halwa, basundi and gulab jamuns. Maharashtra: With Ganeshotsav close at hand, a visit to any place in Maharashtra will offer you the chance to try out the delicacies that are so intrinsic to the festival. Modaks, steamed, fried or made of mewa are said to be Lord Ganesh’s favourite sweet. Karanji is a type of fried dumpling made with coconut, jaggery and cardamom and is made during Diwali. Laddoos made from chickpea flour are a delicacy, along with til gud, shakar pare, narali bhaat and puran poli.
Bengal: If the popularity of rasgulla, sandesh and mishti doi is anything to go by, the Bengalis sure know a great deal about sweet making. This seems only natural since they are, as a group, known for having a sweet tooth!
Goa: This beach state may be known for many things, but sweets are not one of them. This doesn’t mean the local delicacies aren’t worth the try. Bebinca, the most popular sweet is made of a rich layering of flour and ghee. Doce is made from chickpea flour and coconut. Dodol, bolinas and godshe are other black jaggery sweets available here.
Kerala: In Kerala hot/warm desserts take precedence over cold desserts. The most popular example is undoubtedly the payasam: a preparation of milk, coconut extract, sugar, cashews, dry grapes, etc.
    Other popular sweets include unniappam, pazham-pori or ethakka-appam and kozhukattai.

Compiled by Lara Rebello TR130912