Feast on these Makar Sankranti treats

Til Laddoo / Chikki

The appearance of Laddoos on every platter is synonymous with Makar Sankranti. The ritual of eating and exchanging the delicious Til Laddoos made of Til (sesame seeds), and Gud (jaggery) is an inalienable part of celebrations. Ayurveda says these two integral ingredients are perfect foods for winter. In the 4th century CE, the Indian physician Sushruta used these ingredients to make laddoos for his patients' nutritional requirements.

Oil in the sesame seeds keeps the body warm and maintains the body temperature, while jaggery is a classic cure for throat and respiratory ailments. Call it Til Poli or Gajak, Til and Gud are great immunity boosters. These laddoos can be easily made at home or bought from sweet shops during winter. Get ready to pop these laddoos like Chutki from Chhota Bheem and feel blessed for Makar Sankranti.

Sakkarai Pongal

Thousand of years ago in south India, a cook accidentally boiled rice and moong dal together which turned into today what's known as Pongal. Each festival makes its type of Pongal across south India. Sakkarai Pongal (Sweet Pongal), is the traditional rice preparation popular in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is a sweet porridge made with freshly harvested rice in a new earthen pot.

Considered the favourite offering to God, this creamy blend of rice, dal, jaggery and spices is magical. The rice and moong dal are added to milk and then made sweet with jaggery syrup. Spices are added for flavour and then garnished with nuts and sometimes even coconut. Nowadays, many south Indian restaurants across India serve Sakkarai Pongal during winter to mark the harvest season.

Pinni

This bite-sized indulgence is Punjab's gift to India. Power-packed with ghee and nuts, Pinnis are healthy and protect you from winter ailments. Rich in Vitamin E, almonds make these flavourful balls perfect for celebrating Lohri in Punjab. They are made from ghee, jaggery, and wheat flour. Sometimes, they are coated with sesame or flax seeds and we already know the importance of having Til at this time of the year.

During World War I, the Sikh soldiers in French troupes got homesick and asked the British Government to replace English sweets with Pinnis. The request was accepted, but due to the ingredients being costly, they sent a chef to assemble Pinnis. But they were not as delicious as they were in Punjab, so the idea was dropped. However, the significance of these nutritious balls persists. Even though they are available in sweet shops, Punjabis usually prefer making Pinni at home.

Payesh

The sweet concoction of date palm jaggery and freshly harvested rice is an all-time favourite for Bengalis during Makar Sankranti. Nolen Gur is the date palm jaggery full of iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and phosphorous, popularly found in Bengal in the winter season. Payesh is a kheer-like pudding preparation made with short-grained rice, Nolen gur, aromatic spices, saffron, nuts and raisins.

It was accidentally prepared by a prince when he dropped a rice ball in sweetened milk to demonstrate the architectural problem of a bridge. This incident happened 2,000 years ago in the kitchen of the Jagannath Temple in Puri. Later, it was distributed to the devotees as prasad. A spoonful of payesh is enough to make you fall in love with the texture of this warm and gooey delicacy.

Undhiyu

Gujarati's spicy affair with this winter treat is famous across India. So much so that on the day of Makar Sankranti, Gujaratis celebrate it as National Undhiyu Day. Undhiyu means upside-down and the word comes from the technique used in its making. Seasonal green and root vegetables are mixed and placed underground in an earthen pot. It is then traditionally cooked by placing fire from above.

Later, it is blended with the seasonings and spices from a masala box. It is quite a laborious process, but when it is done, this melange of winter veggies will get you licking your fingers. Often served with puris, this flavourful regional delicacy is a must-try to awaken the foodie inside you. Traditional Undhiyu is mostly available in Gujarati restaurants. In Gujarat, food stalls on the NH8 serve this dish for travellers and tourists.

Puran Poli

Originated in Maharashtra, Puran Poli is a wheat flour flat-bread stuffed with a balanced mixture of chana dal, jaggery and cardamom powder. Versions of Puran Poli are found across India, such as Vedhmi in Gujarat, Obbattu/Holige in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bobbatlu in Andhra Pradesh. Rich in fibres, proteins and minerals, Puran Poli is a wholesome sweet celebrating the first sugarcane harvest of the year. When it is served hot with oodles of melted ghee drizzled on top, it becomes an appetising delicacy full of warmth. Although restaurants make these all year round, Makar Sankranti is the time when it is most beneficial to the body.

Ghughute

This sweet treat is prepared by kneading whole wheat flour dough, jaggery and milk. It is then folded into spirals and deep-fried in ghee. These mini sweets are dried on the terraces or strung together to form garlands. In the Kumaoni region of Uttarakhand, feeding them to crows is believed to bring good luck. In a Kumaoni folktale, the story goes that the mother of Prince Nirbhay warned the prince to behave or risk losing his necklaces to the crows.

She would fondly address the prince as ghughuti and feed sweets to the crows. It is believed that when the prince was abducted by his father, King Kalyan Chand's minister, the same crows saved the prince's life. This is how the tradition of wearing garlands and feeding crows began. Filled with jaggery, the goodness of Ghughute is mostly found in Uttarakhand and it keeps the body warm against the cold winds of the Himalayas.

Khichdi

A basic plate of Khichdi has cultural and nutritional significance, especially during Makar Sankranti in Uttar Pradesh. Cooked in a single pot with freshly gathered rice and lentils, it is also a celebration of unity. Khichdi is offered to God to seek blessings for a prosperous harvest in the upcoming year. Also, the simple yet nutritious delicacy with minimum spices is easy to digest in the changing weather.

The diversity of India never ceases to amaze me. There's so much variety in the plates Indians put together for this important festival. One ingredient common among all Makar Sankranti foods is the winter staple – jaggery. Its superiority in providing warmth during winter makes it a superfood. With so many recipes and one common ingredient, I would say that it is akin to the idea of different cultures and one united India. This distinctive quality will continue to make India special.