Festivities
Do our Mithai’s need to evolve? By Shirley Jacob
T
he Indian calendar is choc-a-block with festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Eid, Raksha Bandhan, Dussehra, Diwali and so on. One common thread underlying this fabric of festivities is the adornment of mithai often laid out at these occasions. Whilst I don’t really miss the experience of being force-fed sweets during these festivities, every time I do eat these magical morsels of mithai, distant memories of my childhood are rekindled. These memories underpin my culture and identity and are precious to me as they are untouchable and truly personal. Akin to this, Indian cuisine is also deeply rooted to our heritage and has been consecrated through a fixation on ‘authenticity’ and cultural preservation. Whilst the Brits may have anglicized and laid claim to some of our curries and chutneys, Indian sweets have seemingly remained unadulterated for thousands of years. However, with the growing tide of fusion cuisine, Mithai has emerged as the latest subject of experimentation in fine-dining cuisines across the globe. Intrigued by these developments I began exploring the culinary heritage of Indian sweets to understand if the whole notion of ‘authentic cuisine’ is truly defensible, and whether our mithai needed to evolve. Underpinning our affinity for Mithai is India’s deep-seated love of sugar, stemming from the days of yore. Sugarcane originated in India thousands of years ago before our predecessors discovered how to crystallize sugar during the Gupta dynasty, around 350 AD. Sugar was highly valued for thousands of years, first beDownload Our App
Shrikand vermicilli cups
OCTOBER I 2021
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