Sweets Unique to Nepal

Sweets unique to Nepal
A beautiful landscape, unique traditions, friendly people, the adrenaline rushes from adventures are some things that make certain places special to us. The tastes of certain cuisines unique to different places also instill the memory of that place or dream vacation in our hearts. One of such reasons that make Nepal a favorite among tourists is the cuisine – especially the desserts known as Mithais or Guliyo in Nepali language.
There are numerous Mithais in Nepal and while most are prepared commercially and sold at sweet shops, some are even prepared at homes. Mithais are not just the usual desserts, but also prepared as offerings to Gods on various occasions and have their own significances. Some of the famous Mithais are:

Jerri

It is one of the most loved dishes which is a deep fried, loops of flour dipped in sugar syrup. It is a very succulent, a sugary dish that tastes best when freshly prepared and paired with soft bread called Swari. It is served to guests or eaten as dessert during ceremonies and parties.

Barfi

It is another famous sweet specially used for pujas and holy occasions. They are usually diamond shaped and made from sugar, flavoring and garnished with different dry fruits. Kaju Barfi is made from ground cashew nuts whereas others are made from almonds, coconut, etc and added with different flavorings.

Gud pak

It is a traditional dish made from flour, edible gum, brown sugar and assorted nuts. It is very thick, rich and delicious dish that melts in the mouth.

Peda

It is a flat, circular sweet made from Khuwa (slowly shimmered thick milk). It is usually offered to Gods like Ganesh and Bhairabh. They are also garnished with different nuts to give varied tastes. The colors might differ from white, yellow to chocolate brown according to flavors added.

Anarsa

It is one of the old dishes and is a sort of sweet rice flour Pattie. It has a crispy texture with nutty flavor due to the mixture of rice and poppy seeds. It is eaten as afternoon snack.

Laddu

These are round, ball shaped sweets that are favored by a lot of people and are usually distributed as offerings at pujas. There are various types of Laddus according to their ingredients which are:
Motichur ko Laddu: these are round yellow sweets made from chickpea flour and sugar syrup and have a granular texture.
Sooji ko Laddu: It is another type of Laddu of semolina, sugar, butter, cardamom, nuts and coconuts.
Masala ko Laddu: It is the most nutritious of Laddus made from a variety of nuts, dry fruits, wheat flour, sugar and other seasonings.

Lal mohan

These are round, dumpling like flour balls that are deep fried and dipped in sugar syrup. They have soft, spongy texture and can be served hot or cold according to the seasons. They are very popular in celebrations and taste best with curd.

Khir ( Rice Pudding)

It is one of the most favorite dishes that are prepared during special occasions. It is considered to be one of the purest foods as it only consists of milk and rice. It is a form of rice pudding made with milk, rice, butter, sugar, cardamom and dry fruits according to preferences.

Doodh Bari

It refers to milk/cheese patties soaked in thick, flavored milk and garnished with cardamom, saffron and pistachios to give a rich, flavorful taste.

Khajuri :

It is one of the most common snacks in Nepali households. It is a traditional cookie made from flour, sugar and clarified butter. First the dough is prepared and then shaped into hollow, bowl-like patties which are then fried till they turn crispy.The different sweets with different tastes and textures are also unique to certain ethnic groups of the country. Tasting them allows one to savor the different tastes of diverse Nepal and will leave you craving for more.