Global flavours add Deepavali sparkle in Tiruchi’s sweet shops
The Hindu
For Deepavali, Tiruchi's sweet shops offer a variety of Arab and North Indian delicacies alongside traditional snacks. Baklava, kunafa, almond rose ladoo, and Gulkand cashew biscuits are popular choices. Shops have sold over 5,000 orders and offer shipping across Tamil Nadu. #Tiruchi #Deepavali #Baklava #Kunafa #AlmondRoseLadoo #GulkandCashewBiscuitsTiruchi's sweet shops offer a variety of Arab and North Indian delicacies for Deepavali, such as baklava, kunafa, almond rose ladoo, and Gulkand cashew biscuits. Over 5,000 orders have been sold, with shipping across Tamil Nadu. #Deepavali #Tiruchi #Baklava #Kunafa #AlmondRoseLadoo #GulkandCashewBiscuits
This year, the festival of lights has become a festival of exotic sweets as well, as shops in the city have been serving a large spread of Arab and North Indian palate-based delicacies along with traditional snacks in time for Deepavali.
The Middle Eastern sweet ‘baklava’, a delicate baked bite-sized pastry filled with chopped nuts that is coated in sugar syrup or honey, has become a popular choice among festival purchases.
‘Kunafa’, another Arab-Turkish dessert of shredded pastry pan-cooked with a variety of fillings and layered with sugar syrup, has also become more common in Tiruchi’s sweet shops this year.
“We decided to add some variations to our regular menu of traditional south Indian sweets like ladoo, adirasam, and badusha, by bringing in Arab dishes like ‘baklava’ and ‘kunafa’. We have engaged specialist cooks to prepare them,” K.R.V. Ganesan, founder, Aswins Home Specials, told The Hindu. “The Deepavali sales have been pretty encouraging this year since we started two new showrooms.”
Rose petals and dry fruits feature heavily in B.G. Naidu’s festival menu, with its ‘almond rose ladoo’ and ‘Gulkand cashew biscuits’ that have been flying off the shelves for Deepavali. Gulkand is a sweet preserve of rose petals.
“We source most ingredients, including the fresh rose petals, from local agents. The addition of the floral element brings a unique taste and fragrance to the sweets,” said an official. “We have sold over 5,000 corporate and retail orders in the run-up to Deepavali, and offer shipping across Tamil Nadu through our online store.”
Budget-friendly combination packs of sweets and savouries had found many takers this year among bulk order and retail customers, said an official from Shri Sangeethas Tiruchi.