Indian Mithai: the sweets that sweeten our life

Any Indian meal is incomplete without an Indian Mithai at the end. Similarly, any  Festivity or a Celebration is incomplete without an Indian mithai or an Indian sweet. Your son has scored 94% in the Class 12^th board. The first thing you do is to get a box of Ladoo at home. It is Diwali and you are expecting a lot of guests at home. Welcoming them with Kaju Katli is a ritual. Holi can’t be celebrated without a Gujiya while having a ghevar on Teej is a must. Every religious function is also celebrated with a sweet, like Tuesday is a day when the prasad offered at the nearby Hanuman temple is simple Boondi.

Every Indian Mithai has a unique taste and similarly a unique identity. I have captured the character of some popular Indian sweets and tried translating them in a human personality. So if you are set for this sweet journey, then lets start.

Rasgulla the king of Indian mithai

The most popular sweet which every sweet shop displays right at the front shelf. Just a pristine white look of it makes your saliva glands overwork. Rasgulla can be best compared to your mother. As this sweet tops the list amongst all sweets, similarly mother is somebody in your life who is always at the top of your pyramid of life. Rasgulla is made by curdling of milk, draining out the whey in a muslin cloth and separating the chenna (Indian Cottage cheese). The drained chenna is kneaded and rolled into balls which are then cooked in sugar syrup. Mothers also are separated from their roots, kneaded into family dough and dipped in a lot of syrup of love.

Gulab Jamun the queen of Indian mithai

It will not be difficult for you to guess who this personality resembles. Father, of course! Fathers are thick-skinned on the outside just like the dark layer of a Gulab Jamun. But inside they are soft like khoya (milk solid).  Fathers are cooked over the low flame of hardships of life. Their worldly experience makes them thick-skinned from outside but for their family, they always have a softer side inside. They are enjoyed best after being dipped in the same syrup of love. Also most of the time they are served hot.

Kalakand

Kalakand is a soft granular burfi made from an amalgamation of condensed milk and paneer (cottage cheese). It is moist, tastes delicious and has a grainy texture. Kalakand is like your wife. She is granular from outside (only for you) but melts in your mouth. Garnished with nuts and light green pista and flavored with rose water this is one of the most glamorous mithai.

Jalebi

A popular Indian sweet made from fermented batter of maida (flour), gram flour(besan) baking soda and water. The fermented batter is poured through a small hole in a muslin cloth in concentric circles in hot oil and deep fried. The fried spirals are then soaked in sugar syrup. Jalebis are best represented by your relatives. They will go round and round to understand a simple point. Also, they will create a grapevine that will go spiral (not viral) and finally come back to you in a distorted shape.

Boondi Ladoo the common man’s Indian mithai

The ubiquitous Ladoo present on every celebration occasion is like your group of friends with whom you like to celebrate any happy or even a sad moment. The Boondi Ladoo which is several boondi (round shaped droplets) bound together by sugary syrup is very similar to your group of friends who are bound together with syrup of love and understanding.

Sonpapdi

One of the friends in your inner circle who is difficult to understand. Even though he is sweet to you but to unravel his complex mind and personality is like unraveling the layers of Sonpapdi.

Gujiya

A crispy, flaky pastry filled with Khoya and dry fruits. Gujiya is a seasonal sweet enjoyed during Holi. It reminds you of your long lost friend who meets you once in a year. The sides of Gujiya which is wrapped by hand and has a twisted shape resembles the twisted memories of college and youth days now wrapped somewhere in your mind. You meet this friend over beer and end up laughing so much remembering all those sweethearts whom you could never propose.

Barfi

One of the most popular Indian sweets, Barfi is made out of condensed milk, sugar and ghee cooked till a thick consistency is achieved. It is then pressed down in a tray garnished with nuts and cut to squares or rectangles. Barfi is like your past girlfriends. Some were chocolaty while some were pink. The one from the coastal region tasted like narial. But Barfi is a dated Indian mithai and not so much in fashion. Also now that you have tasted Kalakand, Barfi is just there in your memories.

Well, there are still so many left. If after reading this post you have any specific Mithai or Indian sweet in mind, do write to me and I will be happy to do a background check.

Read such similar stories on my blog. Click on the link below:

The Indian Tea: A beverage popular with all ages

The Indian Sweets that we love