With Lohri around the corner, the luxurious time to splurge on sweet and crispy offerings of the festive season has begun. Prepared with nuts, crunchy sesame seeds and healthy jaggery, Indian delicacies such as peanuts, chikkis, rewri and gajjak add warmth to the celebration and festive mood in the winter chill. These delicacies are eaten after offering to the god of fire. The sacred bonfire around which people celebrate the festival is symbolic of the god of fire.

Skillful confectioners create different and new forms and shapes of the delicacies that taste incredible. The market is flooded with exotic sweets and snacks such as rolls stuffed with dry fruits or condensed milk (khoya), chikkis, rewri, etc seasoned with cardamom, saffron, rose, fig, kewra, gulkand, mango, pineapple, vanilla and many more fragrances.

Chikkis are the thin and small modifications of gajjak. Rewari is another form that looks like small coins and comes in different palates. Some varieties are made with jaggery and some with sugar containing peanuts and sesame as the main zings.

Some prefer to add condensed milk (khoya) to make this sweet creamy and richer. Being dry, it has a good shelf life and can be stored in airtight containers for a month or so except the one made with condensed milk. Their price varies from Rs.300 per kg to Rs.1000 per kg or more depending upon the quality and the nature of ingredients used. Irrespective of their price, they are sold like hot cakes during this festival season. They serve as a good gift pack during the festival of flavours.

Every part of the world has its own festival delicacies and they may vary within different regions of the same country. Yet, crossing the boundaries of India, this sweet dish holds a huge demand in Europe, Middle East and America. Menus put sweets at the end. Yet, it is beneficial to be eaten before supper time as it enables the flow of digestive secretion and helps you absorb vitamins and nutrients better. Stock it up now in your kitchens before the season ends.

Health benefits – You will love how peanuts and sesame boost physical health while jaggery purifies your body naturally. Jaggery refines blood, encourages digestion, iron absorption and weight loss. Sesame seeds full of protein reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and good for digestion, heart health, skin, eyes, hair and oral health. Peanuts are good source of essential nutrients, including phosphorus, manganese, copper and folate. They are good for heart and help in weight loss if consumed in moderation. No doubt, all these eatables are full of calories, you can burn them off with a workout.

Keep the cool weather at bay indulging in these traditional yet popular sweets during Lohri. Certainly, these delights can add to the traditional and modern festive fervour to the celebration. Wish you all happy Lohri.