Article About Diwali Special Sweets

Diwali special sweets—dessert platters from different Indian states

Kaju Katli

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Every North Indian swears by this melt-in-mouth dessert. Made by mixing powdered cashews with sugar, ghee (unsalted butter) and mawa (khoya, a derivative of milk), this diamond-shaped sweet is one of the best Diwali sweets exchanged between people during the festival and other happy occasions.

Jalebi

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Ask any person in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh what jalebi means to them, and they would tell you that it is one dessert that infuses joy to their festivals, weddings and holidays. Across North India, jalebi is made fresh in the mornings and served hot on its own, or with milk or rabri.

Shrikhand and Basundi

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Both these milk-based desserts taste divine, and hence, even the Hindu gods heartily relish them when offered during worship or special religious ceremonies.

Khaja

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Also known as chirote, the word ‘khaja’ translates to ‘grab and eat’ in the local dialect of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. This is a pastry-like dessert made by layering dough made from refined wheat flour with sugar and ghee.

Mysore Pak

Photo by:  Charles Haynes, Creative Commons Attribution Licence

The combo of gram flour, ghee and sugar is loved in North India, and also down South. When made by the deft hands of a north Indian, it combines to form besan ladoo; and when a native of Karnataka cooks it with love and passion, it turns out to be the mushy Mysore Pak.

Shufta

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While, the natives of Jammu and Kashmir love all kinds of desserts, they stay connected to their roots by making shufta, a sweet treat made from loads of dry fruits, aromatic condiments and sugar. Diwali, weddings and other festive occasion are celebrated with shufta in Kashmiri households.

Posted by Resham Sengar