The History Of Varq: The Silver Lining Of Indian Sweets

Whenever there’s the taste of festivities in the air, your can be sure that somewhere in your city, Varq is hard at work. You may not know Varq by name, but you definitely recognise the shimmery sight of it. Also known as Chandi Ka Varq (or Warq) these flavourless, microthin silver sheets are made of precious metal and are the jewel of every Indian sweet. 

India’s fascination with Varq goes back centuries. It’s available in silver and the more expensive and coveted gold version which chefs and confectioners use to gild everything from mithai to paan or nuts and biryani. Any dish that makes it to a festive table is fair game to be doused in glitter.

But even though it makes for a stunning visual, Varq isn’t simply an aesthetic choice. The decision to use real silver and gold to dress dishes is sometimes traced back to ancient times when Ayurvedic texts recommended silver as a purifying addition to food. Every modern-day medicine has confirmed that silver has antimicrobial properties which can be medicinal. Other texts claim that the tradition hails from Persia where gilding food with silver and gold paint was a common occurrence. Despite the unsure of its origins, one thing about Varq that is consistent is the fact that it was perfected during the Mughal reign.

During this time kingdoms across the north of India incorporated Varq as a daily part of palace life. Varq would be placed on all the dishes as a form of insulation, it also served to protect the royal court since they could easily see if the food had been tampered with in any way. The silver Varq is also served to keep food hygienic by repelling dust that might contaminate the food. As an added bonus, of course, it was also a marker of status with royalty laying out rich feasts laden with Varq to impress their guests.

Traditionally Varq was made by silversmiths and craftsmen who pounded real silver by hand into sheets that were 1/8,000 of a millimetre thin. These sheets were then placed on paper for support and only peeled off at the last moment. Today the efficiency of production is far greater since the advent of machine-made Varq which can do the same job to more precise quality. Sadly this has led to a decline in the proliferation of the craft itself with Varq-makers being in very short supply. 

Another debatable modernisation is fake Vsrq which is not silver but a form of very thin form of aluminium foil which is definitely not safe for consumption. Food grade Varq needs to be sterling silver or 22K to 24K gold and naturally comes with a price tag to match so the fake version is becoming all too common these days. There’s a quick test however and if the Varq leaves residue on your finger when you touch it, it's a sign that it’s not real.

We’ve made Varq such a regular part of our lives that it’s barely given a thought in the day-to-day, but this simple adornment has a record that spans empires and is still very much a living breathing part of history. So before you dig into that stack of Kaju Katli, take a moment to remember the rich and fascinating journey of Varq.