TOP 10 SWEETS OF INDIA

 

India is a country of festivals, traditions and unique cuisine Indian cuisine is known around the world for its spicy curries and savory snacks. It is the sweets however that are dear to the heart of each Indian. Beyond being food, these desserts represent celebrations, offerings made to the deities and family customs and traditions.

One can find sweets that are unique to each region of India based on its culture, key ingredients and cooking method used. If you’re a sweet tooth or somebody new to Indian desserts, here is a list of our top 10 Sweets of India that you definitely must try.

1. Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is probably one of the most popular Indian sweet and is loved by all – be it weddings, festivals or get togethers. Khoya (reduced milk solids), deep fried in dough balls are soaked in sugar syrup and flavored with cardamom and rose water.

It has a spongy texture, a richness that gives way to a very fragrant sweetness to the syrup and melts in your mouth. While North India is the origin of gulab jamun, it is adored throughout the subcontinent.

2. Rasgulla

Rasgulla is one of the prides of Bengali cuisine made from chhena (Indian cottage cheese), kneaded and shaped into balls and cooked in light sugar syrup. These are snow-white orbs of sponge and juice that absorb the syrup without changing shape.

The debate over the original creator of Rasgulla as a sweet thing even got so serious that the issue even reached to the point of a GI tag in West Bengal and Odisha. Rasgulla is a favorite snack throughout India, regardless of origin.

3. Kaju Katli

Delicious as it may be, this diamond-shaped sweet is as elegant as it comes. Kaju Katli is a sweet made with cashew nuts ground into a paste and mixed with sugar and ghee and has a smooth feeling slipping down your throat.

It’s a popular gift served especially during Diwali and it is also a symbol of celebration. The minimalistic ingredients and pleasant taste makes this one of the most pushed sweets across all age groups.

4. Jalebi

Jalebi is perhaps the most famous snack in India, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and soaked in sticky sugar syrup. Deep fried fermented flour batter is first shaped in circular form and then dipped in hot sugar syrup.

Jalebi is luscious, sweet and a little tangy and is often enjoyed with curd or rabri (thickened sweetened milk), making it a truly addictive Indian dessert. Even this North Indian favorite has Middle Eastern roots, but has become intrinsically Indian over the centuries.

5. Ladoo (Laddu)

Ladoos are the staple of any Indian festival or offering. Besan Ladoo, Boondi Ladoo, Motichoor Ladoo, Rava Ladoo and many other round sweets are these. Ladoos are made with chickpea flour, semolina, coconut, ghee and sugar and come in as many flavors as India itself.

Ladoos happen to be Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweet and they are usually the first dessert that most Indians taste when they are still children.

6. Barfi

Like the word ‘snow’ in Persian, Barfi is available in many varieties like Coconut barfi, Besan barfi and Pista barfi. Khoya and cardamom are used to form the base.

Barfi can have a fudge texture or be crumbly and there is a flavor for all preferences. Indian sweet shops are chock full of a colorful tray of assorted Barfi.

7. Sandesh

Sandesh is a fancy Bengali sweet made out of fresh paneer (chhena) and flavored with cardamom, saffron or rose. While other Indian desserts are quite heavy, Sandesh is light, gently sweet and is often molded into intricate designs.

Due to its short shelf life, it’s usually eaten fresh. Even many variants also add fruits to it such as mango or the Bengali dessert nolen gur (date palm jaggery).

8. Mysore Pak

Mysore Pak is a rich and decadent sweet, of royal origin from the royal kitchens of Mysore in Karnataka, India; and is made of gram flour, sugar and lots of ghee. With its porous texture and melt in the mouth experience, as in South India, people find it a good one.

Two versions exist — the traditional hard version popularly made in sweet shops like Sri Krishna Sweets and the softer ghee rich version. No matter what, Mysore Pak is a delicacy fit for a king.

9. Halwa

While there are a plethora of Halwas being offered in India, every halwa is different in terms of taste, ingredients and region. Other popular kinds of Halwa include carrot, semolina, almond and moong dal. Halwas are made by slow cooking the main ingredient in ghee, sugar and milk and are rich, aromatic and comforting.

Halwa is a soul-satisfying sweet that is especially popular during winters and festivals since it warms the heart and stomach.

10. Modak

Modak is a sweet dumpling made with jaggery and coconut and stuffed in rice flour dough and primarily linked with Maharashtra and Lord Ganesha. Ukadiche Modak is the steamed version, though there is also a fried version.

During Ganesh Chaturthi, Modak is an important cultural and spiritual offering and also tastes devotional and culinary treat with its sweet and nutty center and delicate exterior.

While most would consider Indian sweets to be desserts, they are in fact a cultural part of the country; these sweet delights are widely a part of the social fabric, traditions and even part of festivals and everyday life. Sweet is the story of a grandmother in the kitchen, of an artisan in a busy sweet shop, of a celebration, of an offering. This list comprises just ten varieties; however, there are hundreds more in India — all to be savoured!

 From the streets of Delhi, where a Jalebi is devoured in the cold winter, to streets of Kolkata, where Rasgulla is enjoyed biting into it on a cool day, Indian sweets have a sweet soul of its own. Don’t hesitate the next time you’re near an Indian sweet shop. Mithai has its own magic and lets it take you once you have a bite.