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Diverse cultures and even more diverse traditions, that’s the beauty of our country. Come festive season, the country turns into a melting pot of cultures. It begins with Navratre, followed by Dussehra, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and then Chhath Puja. Every region has their own way of celebrating these festivals. One thing that remains a core component of the celebrations is food. Apart from the holy customs and rituals, there are certain food traditions which are an intrinsic part of the pomp and show.
Since Diwali is just a few days away, it only seems fair to talk about its food traditions. For instance, in Goa, Diwali is celebrated with the same fervour as Christmas. It has a huge Saraswat Hindu Brahmin community and they prepare five different kinds of fov or poha on the occasion of Diwali. From curd poha to batata poha, they gorge on several varieties on this day as it signifies the importance of rice in their meals. In another part of the country, a combination of 14 green leafy vegetables is prepared for Kali Puja by the Bengalis known as Chhodo Shaak .
A common tradition across a few states like Bihar, Assam, Maharashtra is eating suran or elephant yam. Considered to be a holy vegetable, the locals strongly believe that eating suran ki subzi on Diwali would bring good luck for them since Goddess Lakshmi resides in it. That’s not it.
Gujaratis also celebrate the festival of lights with equal excitement and joy. Mithais are a common feature for most Indian festivals but it is the savouries that differ from region to region. In Gujarati households, you will find freshly prepared farsan during the days prior to Diwali. Farsan refers to snacks in Gujarati and generally they have a long shelf life.
1. Rice Flour Chakli
Be it Diwali or not, I love to munch on a crispy chakli any day. This popular Gujarati snack is a treat to the taste buds. Made with rice flour, chana and urad dal, the crispy chakli is fried on Diwali and served to guests as farsan.
2. Methi Thepla
Thepla is a Gujarati flatbread which looks quite similar to a paratha. Infused with the flavours of methi, this light and soft flattened bread is made of wheat flour dough. After rolling out the theplas like chapattis, they are tossed on a tawa and served hot with a side of curd, pickle or chutney. On Diwali, you can have it for lunch or even as an evening snack.
3. Tikha Gathiya
Gathiya is a type of thick sev that is used in several namkeen mixtures these days. The good part of gathiya is that it can work well with other ingredients and alone too. This tikha gathiya is a simple yet addictive snack that is hard to resist. The thick sev is made of besan and after frying, it is spruced up with red chili powder to be enjoyed.
4. Ghughras
Similar to Karanjis, this is a sweet dish that is a Gujarati version of Gujiya. The half-moon shaped ghugras are made of maida and filled with almonds, pistachios, nuts and cardamom powder for flavour. They are then deep-fried and sugar-coated to give it a sweet finish.
5. Khandvi
After Dhokla, if there is anything that is loved by Gujaratis is khandvi. The soft and squishy texture of the small, cylindrical rolls just makes your mouth melt. Tempered with mustard seeds, the batter for khandvi is made from gram flour and curd.
6. Farsi Poori
This poori is yet another specialty of Gujarati Diwali. While pooris are generally savoured with aloo, chole and the like, this farsi poori can be eaten as is with a simple flavouring of cumin seeds, black pepper and butter. This crispy delight is treated as a tea-time snack and relished in the evenings.
The Gujarati farsan fare is all things simple and tasty. So which Gujarati snack are you trying this Diwali?
