“Not many people know that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to go ga-ga over our gulab jamuns while peeli gajar ka halwa satisfied Jawaharlal Nehru’s sweet tooth,” says Roop Narain Gupta, the proud owner and the fifth generation entrepreneur of the popular sweet and namkeen shop, Kanwarji Bhagirath Mal in Chandni Chowk, old Delhi.
From former president of India Dr Rajendra Prasad, singers Mukesh and Daler Mehndi to business families such as Dalmias and Modis, Kanwarji Bhagirath Mal’s mouth-watering desi ghee preparations have remained a favourite across generations. Since its inception in 1850, the sweet shop has not just been dishing up sweet memories with bestsellers like moong daal ki barfi, sohan halwa, coconut barfi, gulab jamun, pista badam lauj besides all-time classics patisa, balushahi, dal biji, sem ke beej, aloo ka lachcha, matar and gobhi samosa and kachori.
Sweets enjoy an equal repertoire on the Indian culinary scene. The references date back to gods, but what has remained constant, right from ancient civilisations to modern-day indulgence, is how sweets have been an integral part of every culture, tradition, festivities and celebration. And, this is true globally.
Food historian, author Michael Krondl who is an award-winning cooking instructor, food writer, and former chef, in his book Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert traces the historic and cultural references which depict many uses of desserts. “Sweets were fed to the gods in ancient Mesopotamia, and continue to be the preferred sacred offering among Hindus. Meanwhile, in Europe numerous pastries take the form of anthropomorphic fetishes consumed with more or less pious devotion. Southern Italy has its Saint Agatha’s breasts, Portugal its angel bellies, and throughout northern Europe, gingerbread saints are gobbled up throughout the winter season…Christians bake Christmas cookies and Hindus shower friends and family alike with sweetmeats during Diwali,” he writes.
According to Krondl, for historical and cultural reasons, some nations are just more into desserts than others. He writes that India has a national obsession with desserts… “A Westerner wandering into a large Indian sweet shop can feel like a birdwatcher venturing for the first time into the Amazon. The profusion of color, shape, and size is bewildering. It’s hard to make sense of it all,” writes Krondl, who further goes on to establish the evolution of desserts in India which can be broadly divided into three stages: in 1000 BCE, when Hinduism food rules and rituals gained momentum with sugar cultivation, preserving milk and milky sweets, followed by desserts of Middle Eastern origin with Muslim invaders from central Asia who introduced flour-based desserts, and finally the British Raj, during which modern approaches were adopted.
However, he mentions that the first reference to a sweet like payasam (rice pudding) can be traced to Jain-Buddhist texts from around 400 BCE. Sweets have been part of every Indian tradition — as a child’s first taste of solid food. In fact, madhuparka – a mixture of honey with curds or ghee – used in ritual offerings, dates back to the Vedic times.
Delhi-based food critic and historian Pushpesh Pant says, mithai has been an integral part of Indian culture, especially since the turn of the 20th century when Bengali sweets prepared with chhena claimed a status superior to other Indian sweets and even influenced halwais to create fusion sweets. But due to short shelf life, these aren’t a favourite during festivals. Common sweets like jalebi and gulab jamun retain their popularity, taking on more delicate and refined avatars in premium offerings.
“Ayurvedic texts and literary works refer to mishthan loosely translated as ‘sweet food’ implying mostly a union of mishti and pakwan — well-cooked deep-fried food. Sweet is what makes life—glucose energises our bodies for manual and mental work. The quintessential Indian sweet is kheer and it is on an ocean of kheer that lord Vishnu rests with his consort Laxmi. It is Laxmi, the goddess of riches, who is worshipped at Diwali and kheer is the prasad,” says Pant. But as seasons change, with autumn giving way to winter, calorie-packed sweets signal a change in diet accordingly. Most traditional sweets are grain-based balushahi, roats (sweetened flatbread) deep fried for a long shelf life, laddoos, peda and barfis prepared without khoya and enriched with dried fruits and nuts,” adds Pant.
The traditional touch
With a sweet shop on every corner, some, however, stand out. The list is exhaustive, but the popular sweet shops in India include Kanwarji Bhagirath Mal in Delhi; Bhagat Halwai in Agra, established in 1795 by Lekh Raj Bhagat which started by selling puri sabzi, barfi, jalebi and rabri and is now known for doda barfi. Kolkata’s KC Das established in 1868 by Nobin Chandra Das, currently run by KC Das, is worth a mention. It went from a tiny shop in Bagbazar to becoming famous worldwide for rasgulla. The Ghasitaram Halwai established in 1916 in Mumbai is known for dry fruit anarkali and ice halwa. In fact, the Ghantewala Halwai in Chandni Chowk in Delhi, established in 1790, was one of the oldest halwais to cater to the Mughal emperors, presidents and prime ministers of India, from Nehru to his grandson Rajiv Gandhi, and was known for its sohan halwa.
Kesar Da Dhaba, in Amritsar, Punjab, since 1916 has had visitors including Lala Lajpat Rai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and several film stars. The dhaba is known for phirni served in earthen bowls.
Laxmi Misthan Bhandar (LMB) in Jaipur has a glorious saga of 290 years of offering traditional sweets.
Though conventionally sweets like besan or motichur laddoo, gulab jamun or milk-based sweets like milk cake, kalakand were made at home, it gradually changed as contemporary fusion of mithai came into being. “In Uttar Pradesh, the demand for Indian home-made sweets was high in the early 80s but as the purchasing power increased in late 90s, the trend changed. Chocolates have replaced traditional desserts for some, but nothing in the world can compare with the flavour and authenticity of mithai,” says Sanjay Agarwal, owner of the 40-year-old Bansal Sweets in Agra.
What Bansal says is true. A sweet box in the 90s used to be an assortment of barfi, gulab jamun, balushahi neatly placed in rows but this changed with rising affordability and the advent of household brands like Haldiram’s and other mithai walas experimenting with sweets. Now, malai roll, petha paan, pista lauj, kaju katli, cham-cham and patisa are equally popular.
“Diwali is synonymous with mithai. Khurchan, rabri, peda are an essential part of festivities. But now with people conscious of health, things like sugar-free and guilt-free are gaining traction,” says Ashok Mathur, a fifth generation resident of Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi.
The modern sweet box
Today, contemporary sweet shops are paying a luxurious ode to traditional sweets with artisanal, handcrafted offerings. Brands like Khoya Mithai, Haldiram’s, Bombay Sweet Shop, Choko La or Varque are offering premium festive assortments. From a choice of walnut peda, Belgian chocolate barfi, paan peda, sugar-free fig barfi, pista lauj and pink laddoo, the new-age sweet makers add a contemporary twist to a careful selection of age-old recipes.
The Bombay Sweet shop has added a unique twist of flavours to its pista khubani cassata barfi made with rich pistachio peda rolled around an apricot peda and topped with cashews. A decadent kaju gulab roll is a sweet combination of cashew, rose, and pistachio barfi, coated with poppy seeds. The hazelnut besan barfi with jaggery, saffron, and toasted hazelnuts is loaded with dry fruits, nuts, and fragrant cardamom; Mysore Paak-inspired delights, the malty coffee paak, badam paak, saffron kaju katli made with Kashmiri saffron, or the mighty motichur laddoo crafted in the traditional way with boondi, ghee and sugar are some offerings.
“Traditional Indian mithai has witnessed notable transformations. Initially, mithai was crafted with basic ingredients like milk, ghee, sugar, flours, etc. But modern mithai shops have gone beyond the use of these ingredients and incorporate ingredients found in Western desserts — chocolate ganache, jams or even mascarpone cheese to cater to diverse palates of the new generation. The offerings and their packaging are also visually appealing. For the health consciousness, there are healthier versions — reduced sugar content or sugar-free options,” says Sameer Seth, founder & CEO, Hunger Inc Hospitality that owns Bombay Sweet Shop. “The traditional, a twist on the familiar, and the never-seen-before come together to deliciously co-exist,” adds Seth.
In fact, festivities are incomplete without traditional sweets like kaju katli and motichoor laddoo but the demand for fusion sweets has surged and made traditional players like Haldiram’s have introduced innovative varieties. “Today sweets combine the rich flavours of chocolate, indulgence of dry fruits, and exquisite texture. They come in premium packaging, extended shelf life and are shipping-friendly, meeting the evolving needs of the customer. While old traditions are cherished, catering to the younger audience with changing taste profile is vital. We have also embraced fusion sweets and chocolate-coated delicacies. As gifting has become an art, the new-age mithai like flavoured soan cakes and fruit bites are making a mark,” says Neeraj Agarwal, director, Haldiram’s Food International.
Modern brands like Varque, The Hazelnut Factory, Shrikhandd acknowledge the dynamic landscape of sweets. “We want patrons to relish sweets that encapsulate the ever-evolving tapestry of tradition and innovation in taste,” says Shreya Sethi, director, Shrikhandd, an online-only gourmet mithai shop that has reimagined the conventional recipes in its iconic mithai pizza, a box that features multiple pieces of classics like the kesar delight and innovative creations like coco bliss, a collection of premium dry fruits and stuffed dates.
Dessert brands like The Hazelnut Factory have laddoos infused with French cranberries, white chocolate, and hazelnut chocolate and milk pistachio laddoos, assorted baklava rolls. Pista lauj, pink coconut laddoo, roasted besan laddoo and paan peda are bestsellers for luxury mithai brand Khoya Mithai, which uses premium ingredients and has reduced excessive use of ghee and sugar.
“With a spotlight on premium, healthier ingredients and exquisite presentation, 100% natural, locally sourced premium ingredients, organic sugar, age-old recipes, sweets now sit proudly alongside Western confectionery, showcasing the diversity and creativity of Indian desserts. The use of indigenous spices, fruits and local ingredients keeps the soul of these sweets firmly anchored in India’s culinary heritage,” says Sid Mathur, founder-director of the brand, who recently launched an exquisite range of ice creams inspired by traditional mithai flavours such as motichoor, milkcake ice cream. From gluten free to sugar-free, Mathur aims to please all sort of customers. But when it comes to mithai, few can resist a bite, and Diwali is considered a licence to indulge.
