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Sweet Assortment

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India not only has a rich cultural history, but also a thousand-year-old connection with sweets. Every Indian festival and celebration is incomplete without sweets. A popular saying goes "Kuch Accha Karne Se Phele Humesha Muh Meetha Kar Lena Chahiye" - have something sweet before starting an auspicious task. 

Every festival brings different parts of Indian Mithai (sweets) with it, and in the different parts of India, their own specialties are conjured up for celebrations. All sweet delicacies are associated with occasions and festivals. From the huge selection of Diwali sweets like Laddoo, Kaju Barfi and Gulab Jamun to Gujjiya, which are enjoyed at Holi, to Modaks at Ganesh Chaturthi to Rasgulla for Durga Pooja, to name just a few.

In the southern parts of India, rice is added to the sweets, while in the north, the sweets are enriched with Khoya (dried fruits). While in different parts of India, sweets are cooked based on the respective regional taste and their traditions, the three main ingredients ghee, sugar, and dried fruits always remain the same.

Traditionally, Hindus (a religion in India) believe in the concept of Sativk (purity). There is the belief to first offer Prasad (the offering) to the gods and then to everyone else. Only pure food is offered to the gods. Therefore, Indian Mithai, which has ghee, sugar, and milk as its main ingredients (all satvik), is the preferred choice. Since all the ingredients used to make sweets are pure, they are considered safe to offer to the gods in temples. A ritual that has existed for centuries. Indian sweets have their place in all things auspicious.

Sugar has been extracted from sugarcane plants in India for thousands of years and forms the main ingredient of every Indian sweet. The derivation of the word “sugar” is said to come from the Sanskrit शर्करा (śarkarā), which means “ground or candied sugar.” Furthermore, the word “candy” also comes from ancient Sanskrit. Khanda means “a piece of sugar.”

The first chemically refined sugar appeared about 2,500 years ago in India. From there, the technique spread eastward to China, westward to Persia and the early Islamic worlds, and finally reached the Mediterranean in the 13th century. Throughout the Middle Ages, sugar was considered more of a rare and expensive spice rather than an everyday seasoning.

If you meet someone in India who is celebrating something, you will very likely be told "muh meetha kijiye" (take something sweet).

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