Your Guide To 8

GI-Tagged

Sweets You Must Taste Once

The sweet map of India is also a legal map. The Geographical Indication (GI) tag guarantees that the quality and reputation of a product originate from its geographical location, and that only producers from that area can use the product's name. Among GI-tagged products, sweets occupy a special place: from Dharwad peda and Tirupati laddu to Joynagar moa and mihidana, each sweet is steeped in temple history, family heritage and regional ingredients. Here are eight GI-tagged sweets worth a journey to taste.

Coming from Silao, a town in Bihar's Nalanda district, this crumbly and crisp sweet received its Geographical Indication status in 2018. Silao khaja comprises numerous layers of thin wheat-flour dough that are brushed with ghee, fried until golden brown and soaked in sugar syrup. Its appearance resembles that of baklava, a popular sweet, with an extremely crisp exterior and a syrupy interior. It has been enjoyed in this region for many years, and tourists travelling to Rajgir and Nalanda pick up boxes of it on their way.

Often referred to as the cousin of boondi, mihidana is produced in Bardhaman, West Bengal, and received its GI status in 2017. The term mihidana translates as 'fine grains' and refers to small golden pearls prepared using gram flour and fragrant rice flour, cooked in ghee, coloured with saffron and dipped in sugar syrup. Legend has it that the Nag family of sweet makers invented this delicacy for Lord Curzon's visit in 1904.

Dharwad peda, which comes from the city of Dharwad in Karnataka, was awarded GI status in 2007. Its history dates back to the 19th century, when the Thakur family migrated to Dharwad from Uttar Pradesh because of the plague. Ram Ratan Singh Thakur started making pedas using Dharwadi buffalo milk, slowly boiled with sugar until it turned caramelised and brown, producing a grainy, soft sweet. Milky and caramel flavours characterise this sweet, and the Thakur family's recipe is still available in Karnataka.

Bebinca, known as the 'queen of desserts' of Goa, received its GI certification in 2023. The traditional bebinca recipe is an intensive process, wherein coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, ghee and nutmeg are added one by one in very thin layers, each after the previous layer has been browned. The conventional bebinca has seven layers, though it sometimes has as many as sixteen. The dessert gets its name from a nun called Bibiana at an old convent in Goa.

Srivilliputtur palkova from the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu received GI certification in 2019. This semi-solid, yellowish-brown confection is prepared by slowly boiling full-cream milk with sugar until it reduces to a caramelised consistency, resulting in a smooth texture and a unique caramelised taste. It is claimed to have originated in 1921 with Rajput communities who set up stalls near temples, and the Srivilliputtur Co-operative Milk Producers' Union began manufacturing it in 1945. Local fresh milk ensures that it melts in the mouth. Get a pack after visiting the Andal temple.

One of the most controversial food debates in recent history centres on the GI tag for rasgulla. The GI tag for Banglar Rosogolla from West Bengal was approved in 2017, and the GI tag for Odisha Rasagola was granted in 2019. Odisha Rasagola, known for its softness and caramel colour owing to caramelised sugar, differs from Bengal's rosogolla, which is spongy and white in colour. According to legend, Odisha Rasagola is associated with Niladri Bije, the ritual that concludes the Rath Yatra, when Lord Jagannath presents it to Goddess Lakshmi.

The famous Tirupati laddu, the holy prasadam of the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, was awarded GI status in 2009. Prepared in the temple's kitchen, called the 'potu', the laddu is made using boondi of gram flour along with ghee, sugar, cashews, raisins, cardamom and sugar candy. Laddu offerings have been mentioned in the temple's history since 1715, and several lakh laddus are prepared daily for distribution among devotees.

Joynagar moa originates from Joynagar Majilpur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas and was given GI status in 2015. It is a winter speciality made of kanakchur khoi, or puffed rice, prepared from the aromatic Gobindobhog variety. This is mixed with nolen gur, a type of date palm jaggery available only in cold weather. The confection has a caramelised taste with a slight crunch. The Joynagar Moa Nirmankari Society, which secured the GI status, supports more than 400 producers. Look for it in Kolkata sweet shops from December to February.