Description

South Asian sweets are the confectioneryanddesserts of South Asia. Thousands of dedicated shops inBangladesh,India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing butsweets;however, outside of these countries, South Asian sweet shopsareuncommon.

Sugarcane has been grown in India for thousands of years, andtheart of refining sugar was invented there. The English wordsugarcomes from a Sanskrit word sakhar, while the word candy comesfromSanskrit word khand (jaggery) - one of the simplest raw formsofsweet.Over its long history, cuisines of the IndianSubcontinentdeveloped a diversified array of sweets. Some claimthere is noother region of the world where sweets are so varied, sonumerous,or so invested with meaning as the IndianSubcontinent.

In India's diverse languages, sweets are called bynumerousnames, one common name being Mithai . They include sugar,and avast array of ingredients such as different flours, milk,milksolids, fermented foods, root vegetables, raw and roastedseeds,seasonal fruits, fruit pastes and dry fruits. Some sweetssuch askheer are cooked, some like burfi are baked, varieties likeMysorepak are roasted, some like jalebi are fried, others likekulfi arefrozen, while still others involve a creative combinationofpreparation techniques. The composition and recipes of thesweetsand other ingredients vary by region. Mithai are sometimesservedwith a meal, and often included as a form of greeting,celebration,religious offering, gift giving, parties, andhospitality in India.On Indian festivals - such as Holi, Diwali,Eid, or Raksha Bhandan- sweets are homemade or purchased, thenshared. Many socialgatherings, wedding ceremonies and religiousfestivals ofteninclude a social celebration of food, and theflavors of sweets arean essential element of such acelebration.