11 timeless sweets from different states of India

India is known for its festivals and celebrations, and none of these are complete without a platter of sweets. Hence, every region/state has its own range of sweets, which define the cultural heritage and depth of the area. Let us tell you about 11 timeless sweets from different states of India that are a must-try.

This Bengali sweet is primarily made with chhena and sugar or jaggery and sometimes, it is flavoured with cardamom, saffron, rose water, or nolen gur.

It is traditionally called Ukadiche Modak is made with a soft rice flour shell, filled with a mixture of fresh coconut and jaggery, flavored with cardamom, and steamed to perfection. It is offered to Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi.

It is a sweet disc-like sweet cake made with maida batter, deep fried into honeycomb-like texture and then soaked in sugar syrup. It is topped with saffron, dry fruits, silver vark and rabri.

This sweet is native to Punjab and is made with atta roasted in ghee, and sweetened with jaggery or sugar and enriched with dry fruits, melon seeds, and cardamom. Shaped into round laddoo-like balls, pinnis are dense, hearty, and energy-packed.

It is a rich traditional sweet made with ghee, besan, and sweetened with sugar syrup and flavoured with cardamom.

This Bihari delight is made with whole wheat flour, ghee, nuts, and sugar. A stiff dough is prepared using all ingredients and then embossed with texture using a wooden mould, which is then deep-fried in ghee or oil. It is mostly prepared during Chhath Puja and other festivals like Teej.

It is made with three simple ingredients- besan, ghee, and sugar. It has a rich, melt-in-the-mouth texture with a fragrant ghee aroma.

It is a type of kheer or payasam, which is made with ada (rice flakes), which is cooked in coconut milk and sweetened with jaggery, and flavoured with cardamom, ghee, and dry ginger.

This is the signature sweet of Odisha and the name literally means roasted cheese, where chhena stands for cottage cheese, and poda means burnt/roasted. It is made with freshly prepared chhena (cottage cheese), sugar or jaggery, semolina, and flavored with cardamom. It is baked traditionally over coal, which gives it a caramelized crust and rich smoky flavor.

This deep-fried sweet of UP is made with refined flour, ghee, and curd, which is crispy outside and soft and flaky inside. After frying, it is dipped in a warm sugar syrup flavored with cardamom or saffron, giving it a shiny, sweet glaze.

It is a steamed delight made in earthen pots or kettles lined carefully with fresh banana leaves. To make this sweet, you need rice flour, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, and jaggery combined together perfectly.

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