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As the rain Gods smile upon us, the month of Sawan ushers in a wave of festivities where sweets reign supreme. The market brims with exquisite confections, and leading the pack is the celebrated ghevar, which is available in both innovative renditions and timeless traditional flavours, adorned with various toppings and available in different sizes.
Ghevar, a delightful dessert hailing from Rajasthan, holds a special place in the vibrant mosaic of Indian culinary heritage. With its origins tracing back to the medieval era, this sugary delight is intimately intertwined with the cultural revelries of Teej, a revered Hindu festival commemorating the monsoon season and the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
The history of ghevar showcases the ingenious culinary craftsmanship of Rajasthan, where cooks would create this delicacy by deep-frying a batter of flour, milk, and ghee to a latticed, crispy texture. Once fried, it is adorned with luscious toppings such as saffron-infused sugar syrup, rabri (condensed milk), and nuts, creating a symphony of flavours and textures.
Over the years, malai, kesar, and dry fruits were added to the ghewar toppings, but now some serious innovations have happened. And as very rightly said by Subha Aggarwal from Nihira, "Everyone loves a surprise in taste. People are used to international ingredients and love their traditional mithais. This combination of the two met with great success. We have every traditional sweet on our menu. However, it comes with a twist in taste, a shift in the ingredient, or a surprise in colour. This Ghewar season, we changed the language again. Everyone is used to this dish being sweet, but why not savoury? Therefore, we introduced Ghewar Chaats!"
She adds, "There are laddoos, but some are spiked with liquor, some are kneaded with tulsi, and some are made special with lavender. There are barfis in colours that pop and combine khoya with the most flamboyant notes and rich flavours like cheesecake, blueberry, and tiramisu. Acknowledgment and awareness about fusion mithais are definitely there now. However, we respect that some clients like their sweets as traditional as possible, so we have a traditional range available for them to choose from. Doing this serves as a one-stop shop until they're ready to switch to the new side."
Come Teej, ghevar takes centre stage as a symbolic treat that reflects the spirit of the festival. Its intricate design and sweet taste mirror the festive mood, and its association with the monsoon resonates with the agricultural essence of the region. Ghevar's enduring presence in Indian culinary heritage and its integral role in Teej celebrations continue to bind tradition, culture, and taste in a delightful union. Thus, ghevar's enduring legacy in Indian gastronomy and its integral role in Teej festivities bind culture, tradition, and taste harmonious.
Neha Lakhani and Ashay Dhopatkar of Arq Artisanal Happiness add, "While it is essential to always push the culinary boundaries in search of uniqueness and evolution, we at Arq have always believed in bringing together traditional Indian flavours and combining them with their European or oriental counterparts, but only where they complement each other, and have avoided fusion for the sake of fusion. That is why, while we have a few modern flavours like coffee ganache that actually work, we uphold the traditional ones like malai and rabri ghewar, which are absolute classics and eternal."
And as we believe in innovating with traditional sweet brands like Haldiram's, they have also joined the bandwagon with their Teej campaign, which focuses on the essence of the age-old cultural celebration with a delightful selection of ghevar, available in a range of flavours to suit diverse palates. Offered in flavours including malai ghevar, kaju cream ghevar, kesar ghevar, plain ghevar, rose ghevar, khas ghevar, kalakand ghevar, kesar malai ghevar, etc., each ghevar variant is filled with the authentic taste and expertise that Haldiram's is celebrated for.
