Kansar

If Kashmir and Hyderabad are a meat lover’s Mecca, and Bengal is a fish enthusiast’s dream, then Gujarat is undoubtedly a vegetarian’s heaven. The Guajarati cuisine offers a never-ending list of vegetarian main courses and magnificent sweets, that reflect the populace’s simple and sweet lives to the fullest. One such dessert delight from this ‘jewel of western India’ is the Kansar, also referred to as the Lapsi.

Kansar is an authentic Guajarati sweetmeat that combines wheat flour, jaggery and ghee (clarified butter) in a perfect ratio to obtain a mouth-watering delicacy. To make the traditional Kansar, wheat flour mixed with ghee is added to a pan of hot jaggery syrup and left to simmer till the blend thickens substantially. Sugar is sprinkled on top as also chopped almonds and cashew and served hot for the best burst of flavours and texture.

Kansar holds a special place of reverence in the Gujarati culture and is consumed on most festivities and celebrations. In a regular Gujarati household, serving a bowl of Kansar to guests is considered a display of respect and acceptance. Gujarati people of the older generations claim that Kansar was one of the first desserts made by the Gujarati community, which has led food historians to speculate that the dish is at least a 500-year-old creation.

Kansar is a mandatory inclusion on the occasion of Bhai Dooj and Dhanteras, when Kansar is cooked as Shakan or a good luck charm for the year ahead. Kansar also plays an important role in Gujarati weddings where the bride’s mother offers the dish to the groom to be consequently eaten by both bride and groom to induce happiness in their newly married life.

Though Kansar as such does not find much mention in ancient literature, its alias, or proposed precursor Lapsi, has ample representation in Ayurvedic texts and Puranas. For instance, the Skanda Purana mentions the Lapsi to be an offering in worship, while the Ayurvedic composition Bhavaprakasa Nighantu lists its nutritional benefit. Ancient Hindu culinary works titled Pakasastra mentions Lapsi and notes down Samita (refined wheat flour) as the dish’s ingredient of choice. Lapsi is also mentioned in Braj poetry that became famous with the Bhakti tradition in India.