Diwali: Celebrate cultural diversity through festive foods

When a festival is celebrated by people of different faiths – Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists – it takes on hues, forms, and avatars that are dissimilar to each other. Factoring in the ethnicities of many of India’s 28 states, and the other countries where it is celebrated – Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Mauritius, among others – makes it a seemingly bottomless melting pot of customs and traditions. The cornucopia of Diwali cuisine exemplifies this plenitude.

This festive cuisine is both eclectic and evolving. For instance, standard fare in one Indian state may be considered strange in another, while dishes that are significant to one state may remain unknown elsewhere, like Tamil Nadu’s Okkarai, Himachal Pradesh’s Babru, or Madhya Pradesh’s Chironji ki Burfi. North India’s penchant for chickpea flour and fried treats is scoffed for rice flour and milk-based sweets in the South, and although they are neighbouring states, the sweet, dry-fruit stuffed mawa kachori of Rajasthan is a far cry from Gujarat’s fiery kachori filled with lentil. Diwali itself is known as Deepavali in South India.

Painstakingly crafted

Households who have been making foods a certain way for generations are amazed at how their cousins in another city make do, and the generational wealth of painstakingly crafted delicacies now features time-saving editions with frozen, pre-mixed or ready-to-cook culinary aides, and shortcuts that involve the microwave or air fryer.

It is an undeniable fact though, that across the country and beyond oceans, the festival of lights is beloved as a festival of food, for the staggering array of sweets, snacks, treats and meals associated with it. In a celebration that runs for five days, Diwali embodies the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance and this auspiciousness is represented by lamps and lanterns, ornate decorations, gift-giving, and the ceremonious appeasing of deities. It is also a time when people share meals, exchange sweets, host get-togethers, and gift food hampers to friends, colleagues and neighbours.

Although Diwali foods cover a lavish tapestry of flavours, textures and appearances, sweets and savoury snacks occupy a central place with all celebrants; they are gifted, served and consumed throughout the day, and also form part of larger meals.

The ubiquitous mithai, a vast collection of confectionery, sweetmeats and desserts originating in the Indian subcontinent, is led by the trio of ladoo, peda and burfi, with innumerable variations across homes and locations. Typical components of mithai include grain or lentil flours, milk products, nuts and dry fruits, vegetables or gourds, and fragrant spices – combinations of which are sweetened with sugar, jaggery or condensed milk. Festive bling is added with saffron, rose or pandan leaf flavouring, and silver or gold leaf embellishments.

Spice up your festivities

The pantheon of savoury snacks includes flours, lentils, vegetables, nuts and seeds, with multiple variations and making techniques. In one example, the South Indian speciality murukku, or its North Indian counterpart, chakli, can be made with rice, wheat, millet or lentil flours, with countless results.

Gifting these treats is a big part of Diwali, although the longstanding tradition of sending homemade treats to family and friends has been replaced in modern households with the purchase of extravagantly decorated boxes of mithai or dried fruits, or an order placed with a favourite vendor. Many Indian firms plan their corporate gift-giving during Diwali, topping up edible treats with gifts for employees, clients, and suppliers. In 2022, King Charles offered Diwali sweets when he formally appointed Rishi Sunak as British Prime Minister, and American Presidents have hosted iterations of the White House Diwali since the tradition was started in 2003 by George W. Bush.

Food also assumes great piety during Diwali, when it is served as prasad or bhog, offerings made to the gods in reverence and gratitude, before it is consumed. Communities across India assign specific foods to mark religious ceremonies held on different days of Diwali like Dhanteras, Govardhan and Laxmi Pujas, Annakoot, and Bhai Dooj. Traditional chai, aromatic spiced tea, accompanies many of these ceremonies.

Some food rituals around Diwali are also associated with seasonal changes: newly harvested rice to augur food security for the year, chickpea flour to provide warmth for the winter months, and a bounty of vegetables to celebrate the end of Kharif, or rain-fed crops. In Tamil Nadu, Deepavali Legiyam or Marundhu is a special preparation to aid with digestion of the rich foods consumed during the festival.

New culinary inventions

If traditions and variations alone do not capture the astonishing abundance of Diwali cuisine, there are many modern day versions of time-consuming treats, alongside a continuous parade of new culinary inventions. Both sweets and savouries are available in low-fat and low-sugar versions, and baked instead of deep fried. Besan ladoo which involves slow roasting chickpea flour in ghee can be made in minutes in a microwave. Gajar ka halwa, the classic dessert of grated carrot slowly simmered in milk, can be made with large chunks of carrot in a pressure cooker, staving hours off its cook time.

Legendary cookbook author Tarla Dalal is credited with conjuring up Chocolate Pani Puri – chocolate coated puris filled with walnuts and dunked in a chocolate milkshake. TikTok is rife with food creators showing off new dishes like Gajar ka Halwa, White Chocolate Truffles, Masala Chai Rusk Tiramisu, and Ras Malai Trifle, while Pinterest has a 2024 listing of 120 Diwali sweets made in the microwave.

The importance of food during Diwali cannot be overstated as it becomes a medium for expressing gratitude, sharing goodwill, and strengthening bonds with gods and fellow humans. Whether it is a time-honoured recipe or an uber chic take on things, it brings people closer – and brings them contentment.