While chocolates are great, nothing says festivities and celebrations as much as a box of good old mithai. Desi desserts are an integral part of life in India. Whether it’s a festival, marriage ceremony, birthday, christening of a baby or a new acquisition like a car or a home; there has to be ‘mooh meetha’ with mithai.
However things have never been the same, ever since Shimona broke into a jig and ran out to the cricket field to congratulate her batsman boyfriend on his ton in a memorable commercial for Cadbury Dairy Milk. Traditional Indian mithai has been jostling for space alongside artisanal chocolates, colourful macaroons and more lately cupcakes and even Middle Eastern dessert baklava. Along with adulteration that has eroded public confidence, changing consumer tastes and heightened health concerns (Indian sweets have a reputation to be cloyingly sweet with an overload of ghee) have also resulted in the decline of the meetha movement in India. But the biggest challenge for the Rs 5,000 crore mithai industry is the reliance on manual labour for production. “Finding skilled and reliable workforce has become a huge problem. People are not getting upskilled in the art of sweet-making. Those who do acquire these skills either start their own ventures or transition to working with newer brands. People generally prefer working in bakeries and restaurants rather than in sweet manufacturing,” says Arvind Dadu, Managing Director - Anand Sweets, a 35-year-old sweet and confectionary company from Bangalore. The constant need to innovate and introduce new varieties of mithai can be a huge burden while the relatively shorter shelf life of mithai compared to other sweet treats poses logistical challenges for both producers and consumers.
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If you are someone whose heart beats for the good old besan laddu, melt-in-the-mouth peda, scrumptious barfi and delicious katli here are some of India’s oldest sweet shops that have stood the test of time.
Bhagat Halwai, Agra
This Agra institution has been catering to sweet-toothed locals since 1795. Set up by Lekh Raj Bhagat it began by selling puri sabzi, barfi, jalebi and rabri. Today they are renowned for their special doda barfi made with cracked wheat, milk, coconut powder, dried fruits and lots of ghee. The sweets maker recently added baked goodies under the brand BoB (Binge on Baked) to its range of offerings.
Punjabi Ghasitaram Halwai, Mumbai
This sugar emporium in Mumbai was established by Ghasitaram Bajaj in 1916. Though their specialty is ‘dry fruit anarkali’ and ‘ice halwa’, the malai barfi and gujiya are equally revered. The Mahim store is the flagship but you can visit any of the 12 outlets spread across the city.
KC Das, Kolkata
KC Das is synonymous with the roshogolla which was created by K.C. Das’ father Nobin Chandra Das who started the sweet shop in 1866. There are a variety of sweets here (roshomalai, chamcham, lalmohan, misti dahi, prabhu bhog) but the star is still the roshogolla with gulab jamun, sondesh and soan papdi playing supporting cast. KC Das also launched India’s first canned dessert - canned rosogolla in the year 1930. There are eight outlets in Kolkata and a few in Bangalore and Chennai as well.
Parsi Dairy Farm, Mumbai
Nariman Ardeshir who launched Parsi Dairy Farm in 1916 at Princess Street also introduced yoghurt to Mumbai in the 1980s. Over a century later the brand today boasts 80 varieties of mithai and numerous dairy essentials. The iconic brand recently went in for a reinvention with a bigger and elegantly designed store and introduction of new products. But the gigantic piped jalebi, mawa peda, suttarfeni, malai khaja and kulfi still remain crowdpullers.
Basha Halwawala, Triplicane, Chennai
This 84-year-old sweet shop has been luring halwa lovers from different continents to Triplicane in Chennai. They do over a dozen varieties of sweets but it’s Dum Ka Roat, a honey brown halwa with a crusty top that is the star here. The halwa is baked on a coal fired stove and topped with melon seeds. There are flaky Soan Papdis, juicy fat Jangris, melt in the mouth Mysore Pak and Baadusha, too. The packaging is old world just like the sweets.
Chaina Ram Sindhi Confectioners, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi
Originally from Lahore’s Anarkali Market, this shop relocated to Chandni Chowk after the partition in 1947. The sweet treats here are dripping in ghee but delicious as hell. The chewy and nutty Karachi Halwa is the bestseller here but the sev pak, pinni, besan laddoo, barfi, patisa and soan papdi aren’t overrated either. Looking for something savoury? Try the dal moth.
Kanwarji, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi
Founded by Lala Kanwar Sen in 1850, Kanwarji still stands tall in the old Parathe Wali Galli in Chandni Chowk. Take your time browsing the stacks of Pista Lauj, Gulab Jamun, Moon Dal Barfi, Mishri Mawa, Ghewar, Kaju Katli, Besan Ladoo, Boondi Ladoo and Bikaneri Barfi among other treats. The ghewar here is stellar. There’s also an impressive selection of namkeen and savoury snacks, especially ‘Dal Biji’ a dry trail mix made of sev and fried lentils and aloo ka laccha.
Anand Sweets, Bangalore
This Bangalore-based family-run mithai brand was founded in 1988 by Anand Dayal Dadu. Though the journey began with timeless classics like Besan Laddu, Balushahi and Motichoor Laddoo, the brand is now equally known for their decadent Kaju Katli, Badamika and smoky, nutty Mysore Pak. Each piece is beautifully presented, combining visual appeal with desi flavours. The gorgeous packaging in India-inspired boxes adds an element of luxury to the mithai.
Punjabi Chandu Halwai, Mumbai
This sweet shop set up by Chandulal Bahl in 1896 moved from Karachi to Mumbai after the Partition in 1947. Their kalakand, gulab jamun and malpua are hugely popular. But if there’s one item that you can’t miss at Punjabi Chandu Halwai, it is the Sindhi jalebi known as ghaeer. Drenched in sugar syrup and topped with slivers of pistachios, it’s crunchy, juicy and syrupy all at once.
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