India is a country for desserts, a place where desserts after dinner or lunch, are a must and make the meal complete. Desserts or sweets are the cherry topping of Indian culture. Be it a festival, a birthday or any other occasion worth celebrating, desserts and sweets will be the first thing on anyone’s mind, such as the love affair of this country with desserts and sweets.
Modak
1. Modak of Maharashtra
A Ganesh Chaturthi must in Maharashtra, modak is a sweet dumpling whose exterior is made out of rice or wheat flour while the insides are filled with fresh coconut or jaggery. Southern and Western India is the best place to find modak and is called by various names such as Sughiyan in Malayali, Kadubu in Kannada and Kudumu in Telugu. The soft dumpling melts as soon as it enters your mouth giving you endless fits of sugary pleasure.
2. Gajjar Ka Halwa of Punjab
A very attractive way of eating carrots, gajjar ka halwa is another very popular Indian sweet dish in the northern and central parts of India. Originated in Punjab, it is usually made during the winter months and is a delight to have. Made out of carrot, milk, sugar and nuts it is cooked on a slow burner until the milk dries out leaving a mouth watering sweet dish to have post meal. Gajjar ka Halwa is a North Indian speciality with Punjab being the best place to have Gajjar ka Halwa on a cold winter evening.
3. Petha of Agra
Petha and Peda are an out and out Uttar Pradeshi dessert which is gorged upon by millions with great joy. It goes without saying that the best dessert found in Agra is Petha and that in Mathura is Peda. Pethas are like soft, sweet, white rectangular candies made out of white pumpkin. Mathura is credited with the origin of Pedas. They are circular semi soft discs made out of khoa, sugar and traditional flavorings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts and saffron. Agra ka Petha and Mathura ke Pede are to die for. No wonder people leap out of their trains once they enter Agra/Mathura to buy them from the sellers on the station.
4. Raj Bhog of Bihar
Similar to the roshogulla of Bengal in looks, Rajbhog is the darling of Bihar and twice the size of a normal roshogulla. The sweet which gives you a mouthful of pleasure and mesmerizes your senses quite literally is made out of chenna and dipped into boiling sugary syrup. The Rajbhog of Bihar is a speciality of the place and is found in its most genuine taste and form in the state.
5. Mysore Pak of Mysore
The favorite dessert of Mysore and a royal one too, Mysore Pak was first made in the royal palace of Mysore by a cook named Kakasurra. The delicious sweet is made out of ghee, sugar, gram flour and cardamom and is prepared in butter. This Indian sweet dish is a delight to have and Mysore is the best place to have it in.
6. Alwar ke Kalakand
Invented in Alwar by Baba Thakur Das, Kalakand is part of the identity of Alwar and is a delicious sweet dish. Made out of solidified, sweetened milk and cottage cheese this square shaped sweet is pretty famous in northern parts of India. Alwar ka Kalakand is a must have for those travelling to this beautiful district of Rajasthan.
7. Sandesh of Bengal
Bengalis are known for their sweet tooth and language and the poster child of that, is the sandesh. Also known as the “heart stealer”, in some parts of Bengal. Sandesh is essentially made with milk and sugar. This white/creamy beauty of a dessert is found mainly in eastern India and its variants are made of chheena (cheese) instead of milk. Kolkata is the best place for eating sandesh: the amazing, soft sweet which will delight your senses like nothing else.
The variety of sweets in India is endless and at times the same sweet is known by multiple names in different parts of the country. Comment down below if you want to add some delicacy of your state in this list.