The thought of Diwali brings to mind different delicious snacks that are made with love and exchanged with neighbours, friends and relatives. The festival of lights is not only a visual delight with firecrackers and beautiful decorations that adorn houses and streets, but it also is a delight to the taste buds with mouth-watering delicacies prepared in different households. Here are some popular Diwali dishes that are relished in different states of India.

Mawa Kachori, Rajasthan

Mawa Kachori is an exotic dessert from the state of Rajasthan. It is a pastry filled with an aromatic mixture of mawa and nuts and makes for a great festive dessert. The process involves filling the flattened dough with mawa to make small discs which are then deep fried in ghee. Before serving they are dipped in sugar syrup and garnished with finely chopped nuts.

Khilone(sugar toys), Delhi

Since decades, the edible sugar crafted into animal shapes has been an inescapable part of the festival of lights especially in parts of North India like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. The edible sugar toys have been one of the biggest festive highlight for Diwali especially for kids who would play with them and feast on these animals as part of their Diwali celebrations. But the yummy white crystalline toys are finding it tough to hold its place amidst the extensive range of unique sweet treats that are available in the market now.

Chironji ki barfi, Madhya Pradesh

Chironji (aka Charoli) is a dry fruit which is mostly grown in the forests and collected by tribals. Chironji is an expensive dry fruit with multiple health benefits and with a limited supply. The sweet is cooked in pure Desi Ghee (clarified butter). A unique sweet that originated in Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, chironji ki barfi is consumed across the state on the occasion of Diwali.

Anarsa, Maharashtra

Anarsa is a popular sweet dish prepared during Diwali in different parts of Maharashtra. It is prepared from soaked and powdered rice and jaggery. The dough is very soft but able to retain shape. They are then coated with poppy seeds and deep fried in ghee or oil to make a relishing snack.

Teepi gavvalu , Andhra Pradesh

Teepi Gavallu is a traditional Diwali snack of Andhra Pradesh.In Telugu, teepi gavvalu literally translates to ‘sweet shells’. It is made by rolling a dough made from flour and jaggery into pretty shell shaped curls that are then deep fried and dipped in sweet sugar syrup.