Festivals always evoke a feeling of nostalgia, doesn’t it? And if you happen to be in another country, Indian festivals will definitely make you take a trip down the memory lane: new dresses, the excitement around the festivities and of course the delicious home-cooked food. After all, what is Onam without ‘Onasadya’, Diwali without ‘mithai’ and Eid without Biriyani, Keema or a wide variety of other dishes? There are numerous festivals in India associated with many mouth-watering and jaw-dropping sweets and meals as each region offers its unique twist. So let us take a tour around some of the Indian delicacies that we enjoy eating around the festivals. Maybe you can even try these at home. Here are some of the major food delicacies that every person loves to get their mouth on.
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Diwali
Diwali is not just a festival of lights but flavours too. The numerous traditional delights prepared around this time are enough to fill our hearts with ‘sweet’ memories. Diwali is popular across India for its “mithai” or sweets along with freshly made snacks like Samosa, Kachori etc. Along with these some savoury dishes are also served.
Onam
Onam is yet another important festival celebrated in India, highlighting our culinary culture along with traditional dress and Pookalam, (Floral designs in front of the house). Onasadya, an elaborate meal of 11-13 dishes is always served on a green banana leaf. The main dish is plain boiled rice, served with different types of curries such as Sambar, Rasam, Pachadi, Kaalan etc with Banana Chips and pappadam as side dishes. The traditional dessert, Payasam, completes the feast and the festive spirit of the Onam as well.
Durga Puja
Food is a major part of Durga Puja. A wide variety of dishes ranging from sweet to spicy, veg to non-veg, authentic to fusion are part of this Bengali festival. These include Khichuri, Illish Shorshe, Aloo Poshto, Lucchi etc. Sondesh is an integral sweet savoury prepared with milk, sugar and Paneer decorated with dry fruits.
Gurupurab
Being the most important Sikh festival, the celebration is also marked by some lip-smacking dishes to grace your tongues. Langars, also known as community meals, are organized in the Gurudwaras. Divine dishes such as Kada Prasad, Langar ki Dal, Meethe Chawal, Amritsari Kulche, Samosa, Jalebi are distributed on this day.
Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid is considered one of the most important festivals in India for the Muslim community. Eid feast packs in many meaty and sweet delicacies. Nawab Biryani, Nihari, Haleem, Seekh Kebab etc are just a few items offered during the festival. Sheer Khurma is a popular dessert offered during Eid for some sweet memories.
