Just how one enjoys several nicknames from family and friends, certain food items also get several names along the way. Different regions and cultures tend to refer to a particular dish in different ways. One may call it Soan Papdi, the other may call it Patisa, while some others may simply link it to foreign origins. Well, in the case of Patisa, we may say that not one, but all of them hold true.
Patisa is a fudge-based barfi that is sweet and dense. Made with besan or gram flour, this is one of the most popular besan sweet meats in the country. However, Patisa is not alone. It has a host of cousins that join it from different parts of India and end up being called synonymously. One such common instance is that of confusing Soan Papdi with Patisa. While both may belong to the same family of besan mithais, the taste, texture, and flavour of the two is what makes them distinct.
The former is a thicker and denser variation of besan-flour, that is mixed with ghee and sugar and given a flaky texture while the latter i.e. soan papdi is a lighter and flaker dessert with a pale colour. Popular in the western parts of India, like Maharashtra, as well as in Haryana and Punjab, Patisa is a common sight during festivals like Diwali and Raksha Bandhan.
Coming to the foreign roots of this flaky delight, it is often said that Patisa takes inspiration from the Turkish candy floss called Pismaniye. For the uninitiated, Pismaniye is a culmination of fine strands that are roasted in butter and sugar and bound together to form a flaky and sweet meat. Due to similarity in texture, they are often interlinked to each other. However, most often, it is Soan Papdi that is considered closer to the Turkish dessert than Patisa.
The journey of the humble Patisa doesn’t end here. Although exact dates and place of origin are not known, it is said that it also has other cousins in the southern part of the country. Mysore Pak, a sweet delicacy from Karnataka, made with copious amounts of ghee, sugar and gram flour, is considered a hefty cousin of Patisa with a denser and darker appearance. Another close relative is Feni from Rajasthan, which is commonly eaten during monsoon season. A mixture of wheat and gram flour allows the strands to stick together and give us this delicious sweet treat from the region.
The roasted flour and the continuous stirring of sugar and ghee in it is what lends the Patisa/Soan Papdi/Feni/Mysore Pak the rich, nutty and decadent flavour and texture.