The biggest Hindu festival, Diwali is just around the corner. It’s also known as the festival of lights, but for us Indians, it is so much more than that, it is the time when near and dear ones get-together, engage in fun card games and not to forget to gorge on some drool-worthy traditional festival food as well. Well, Indian festivals are a synonym for food because any celebration would be incomplete without food and most importantly sweets.
In the Indian culture, anything good is celebrated with sweets and Diwali being such a big festival, it is for sure we get to eat an array of traditional sweets. India is home to so many diverse cultures, let’s take a look at traditional Diwali sweets from across India that you can devour this year with your friends and family.
Kaju Katli: Everyone’s favourite, Diwali celebrations are incomplete without exchanging Kaju Katlis. It is a traditional North Indian delicacy made with khoya, sugar and cashews.
Patishapta: This thin crepe is a traditional Bengali dessert. The process of making this sweet dish is very similar to that of a dosa or a pancake. It is made with rice flour, maida and sooji. And the cherry on top is that it is served with a sweet sugar syrup made with coconut and jaggery.
Shahi Tukda: A local sweet dish of Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow. Be it a small celebration or be it a festival like Diwali, Shahi Tukda has to be on the menu. This Mughlai sweet dish is made using bread and a creamy dressing.
Goan Nevri: For North Indians, it is popular by the name ‘Gujiya’, however in Goa, it is known as Nevri. It is especially prepared during Diwali in Goa. These crispy Nevris taste heavenly because of the coconut and dry fruit stuffings.
Chironji Ladoos: Talk about a sweet dish that is also healthy, then this one from Madhya Pradesh prepared especially during Diwali is the one. These are made either in the form of barfis and ladoos as well.
Mysore Pak: The name is enough to suggest that this sweet dish is from Mysore. It’s made using just three ingredients gram flour, sugar and desi ghee.
Pinni: A must-sweet dish of every Punjabi household during Diwali. This one is all the way from Punjab. It is made with dry fruit, ghee and pinna, which not only satiate your sweet cravings but also boosts immunity.