India being one of the top most in culinary traditions has gained great popularity worldwide. The picture of Indian sweets is no different. Replicating the diverse cultures of India, Indian sweets range from simple desserts to exotic confectionaries. No matter which state you are in, you will find Sweets that are par excellence in their taste, flavor, presentation, and variety. It has an unending list of varied Indian sweets that are not only the best Indian food but good stress busters as well.
Here are the sweets unique to their state but are among the best Indian food.
Rasgulla – West Bengal
Bengalis are popular all over the world for their sweetness and their sweets for their melt-in-mouth texture. Their creativity in the sweet making is par excellence. Bengali sweets tend to be based on reduced, richly concentrated milk, good for people on diet. Popular all across the country Rasgulla is main sweet of West Bengal, its origin. Pronounced as “Roshogulla,” ‘Ras’ means the essence and ‘Gulla’ means round or ball. Rasgullas are milk-cheese dumpling balls served in sugar syrup.
Ghevar – Rajasthan
An immensely rich dessert, Ghevar is one of the main sweet dishes the quintessence of Rajasthani cuisine. This sweet delight is usually popular during the regional festivals of Teej and Gangaur. This honeycomb-like disc-shaped, crispy and porous cake tastes heavenly. It is a firm favorite for its delectable goodness and you can relish it at all top restaurants in Jaipur. Ghevar is a preparation of corn flour and ghee which is kept in a mould while being cooked. It is served hot after being dipped into a sugar syrup.
Mohanthal – Gujarat
A mark dish of numerous Gujarati families, Mohanthal is a delicate fudge-like sweet. It has a preparation that involves ghee-roasted besan and seasoning of saffron, cardamom and dry fruits. This traditional Gujarati sweet dish is Lord Krishna’s most loved sweet and is subsequently made affectionately amid the celebration of Janmashtami. Enriched with the rich flavour of milk and melt-in-the-mouth texture, this traditional mithai fulfills the weirdest of sweet desires.
Mysore Pak – Karnataka
A super sweet, super-rich dessert, Mysore Pak is a traditional south Indian sweet with its origin in Mysore, one major city in the state of Karnataka. It is also a must visit place in South India. Pak means sugar syrup so it is made from gram flour loaded with ghee and sugar. The texture of this sugar delight is like a buttery cookie. It is commonly available in every household in the south during Diwali.
Khaja – Bihar
One of the most popular and abundantly found sweets in Bihar, Khaja is a deep-fried pastry, filled with fruit or soaked with sugar syrup. It looks dry externally but has a juicy filling of sweets from the inside. It is a traditional Indian delicacy, tracing back its origin to around 2000 years ago. This dry and juicy sweet is not only a popular cuisine in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh but also Andhra Pradesh.
Phirni – Jammu and Kashmir
Hailing from the cold confines of Jammu and Kashmir, Phirni is similar to rice kheer which is a very popular best Indian food in sweets. It is a universal, yet somewhat different preparation. Where kheer has a preparation of whole rice grains, Phirni involves preparation of rice after they are ground coarsely. It is also thicker and creamier in consistency than kheer. Moreover, Phirni is served chilled, unlike kheer which is served both hot or cold.
Pitha – Assam
Indian sweet, pitha is one of the popular mithai in Assam and must have food during festivals like Bihu and other occasions. It is the best Indian food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters. Pitha are a preparation of a batter of wheat flour and having a filling of sweet ingredients such as coconut, sweet fruits, cashews and pistachios. They are made in variations like fried in ghee, steamed or rolled over the hot plate.
Modak – Maharashtra
Modak, a kind of dumplings with a filling of coconut and jaggery. It is one of the favorite dishes of lord Ganesha which devotees offer to him during Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra. The outer soft shell is made with rice flour with the filling of mixture added with cardamom, nutmeg, poppy seeds and dry fruits. It is made in various flavours like strawberry, mango, chocolate and are every kid’s favorite as well.
Pinni – Punjab
Pinni is a delicious Punjabi mithai people eat mostly during winter. It is basically ladoos having a preoaration of desi ghee, wheat flour, jaggery and almonds. Not just in Punjab, it is popular all over North India to serve as a dessert as well as a snack. It has a nutty taste and a light, crumbly texture which makes it taste like a perfect delight in winters. Traditional Punjabi pinni is a preparation of wheat flour and Urad dal.
Khubani ka meetha – Telangana
A sweet configuration of apricots and cream is Khubani ka Meetha. Khubani is the Urdu term for Apricots and Meetha means sweet which translates its name to apricot sweet. Its preparation invloves use of dried apricots and is a major part of Hyderabadi cuisine. It originated from the royal kitchen of Nizams and is a common feature at Hyderabadi weddings.
These are just some of the hundreds of sweet varieties that one can find in India. There are a lot more that one can discover and try. Mithai is the best Indian food playing an important role in Indian cuisine.
