Alternative names |
|
---|---|
Type | Cookies |
Course | Snack |
Place of origin | India–Nepal border |
Region or state | India
|
Main ingredients | Wheat flour, sugar syrup or jaggery, ghee, cardamom, coconut, dried fruits |
Thekua (also spelt as Thokwa or Thekariis), also known as Khajuria, Tikari [1] and Thokni, is an Indo-Nepalese cookie popular in Southern Nepal and the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. [2] Thekua is a revered prasada, offering to god, during Chhath puja. [3] [4] [5] It has been used as a sweet snack for centuries in these places. [6] [7]
It is widely and popularly used as a 'Sandesh' (also called Bhojani) in local ancient-traditional culture. 'Sandesh' (it may be fruits, sweets or any edible/potable goods) . A 'Sandesh' is something which a guest brings to someone's home when he/she arrives there.
The main ingredients of thekua are wheat flour, chasni (melted sugar) and ghee. Jaggery can sometimes be used as an alternative to sugar. [6] Dough is prepared using these four main ingredients and cardamom can be added to enhance the taste. A special wooden cookie mold is used to form various designs on the thekua. [8] Dough is deep fried in ghee or vegetable oil until it becomes reddish brown. It is soft when hot but hardens after it cools. It needs no preservatives and it can be preserved for several days for eating.
The preparation of thekua for the Chhath celebration is usually done in the worshipping room, to maintain the purity. [9]
A group of 16 people from Darbhanga, Bihar prepared a Thekuwa of 91 kg in 2019 to catch the attention of the Limca Book of Records. [10]
Bhai Dooj, Bhai Tika, Bhaubeej, Bhai Beej, Bhai Phonta or Bhratri Dwitiya is a festival celebrated by Hindus on the second lunar day of the Shukla Paksha of Kartika, the eighth month of the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar or the Shalivahana Shaka calendar. It is celebrated during the Diwali or Tihar festival and Holi festival. The celebrations of this day are similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan.
Khaja is an Indian deep-fried pastry, commonly filled with fruit or soaked with sugar syrup.
Chhath is an ancient Indian and Nepalese Hindu festival, native to Nepal and East India. It is celebrated especially in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh; and the Nepalese Autonomous provinces of Koshi, Lumbini, and Madhesh. In the major northern urban centres, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis and East Indians celebrate it in cities including Kathmandu Valley, Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta. Bharat-Nepal Maitri Chhath Ghat on the bank of Dhouns river at Indo-Nepal Border areas near Madhwapur-Matihani semi towns is a popular Chhath Ghat in the Mithila region where huge number of devotees from the both countries gathered to perform the rituals of the Puja collectively. During Chhath Puja, prayers are dedicated to the solar deity, Surya: to show gratitude for bestowing the bounties of life on Earth and to request that certain wishes be granted.
Puri, also poori, is a type of deep-fried bread, made from unleavened whole-wheat flour, originated from the Indian subcontinent.
Tihar is a five-day spiritual and cultural Hindu festival of lights celebrated by Nepalese as well as by the Indian Gorkhas inhabiting Sikkim state and Territories. Tihar is analogous to the Indian festival of Diwali, the festival of lights, but both are different Festival.
Puran poli is an Indian sweet flatbread that is popular in South India and the state of Maharashtra. It is also known as puran puri, holige, obbattu, bobbatlu, poley, bakshamulu, and boli.
Mithai (sweets) are the confectionery and desserts of the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of dedicated shops in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing but sweets.
Pithas are a variety of food similar to pancakes, dumplings or fritters, originating from the Indian subcontinent, common in Bangladesh and India. Pitha can be sweet or savoury, and usually made from a dough or batter, which is then steamed, fried or griddled. Very few varieties are oven-baked or boiled, and most are unleavened and cooked on a stovetop. Some versions may have a filling, garnish, or sauce. Few may be set or shaped after cooking. They are typically eaten as a snack with chai, or as treats during special occasions.
Bhojpuri cuisine is a style of food preparation common among the Bhojpuri people of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh in India, and also the Terai region of Nepal. Bhojpuri foods are mostly mild and tend to be less hot in terms of spices used. The cuisine consists of both vegetable and meat dishes.
Sel roti is a traditional Nepalese ring-shaped sweet fried dough made from rice flour. It is mostly prepared during Dashain and Tihar, widely celebrated Hindu festivals in Nepal as well as Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim regions in India. The dish is popular throughout Nepal. Sel roti is made from a batter of rice flour, water, sugar, ghee, and spices which is then deep-fried in cooking oil.
Shankarpali, shakkarpara, murali, khurma, lakdi mithai, or just simply mithai is an Indian sweet snack made from a dough of sugar, ghee, maida flour, and semolina. The name is derived from Persian Shekarpareh. Shankarpali is eaten in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Its variant known as khurma or laktho is also eaten in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also eaten by the Indian diaspora in Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. It is traditionally eaten on Diwali and can be sweet, sour or spicy depending upon how it is made.
Gujhia, also known as Gughara, Pedakiya, Purukiya, Karanji, Kajjikayalu, Somas, and Karjikayi, is a sweet, deep-fried pastry that is a popular dessert in the Indian subcontinent. This delicacy is made using either suji (semolina) or maida, which is stuffed with a mixture of sweetened khoa and dried fruits. The dumpling is then fried in ghee to give it a crispy texture.
Sattu is a type of flour, mainly used in India, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan. Sattu is a type of flour made up of dry roasted and ground pulses and cereals. The dry powder is prepared in various ways as a principal or secondary ingredient of dishes. Sattu is used in vegetarian cuisine as it can be a source of protein.
Bihari cuisine is eaten mainly in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, as well as in the places where people originating from the state of Bihar have settled: Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, South Africa, Fiji, some cities of Pakistan, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Jamaica, and the Caribbean. Bihari cuisine includes Angika cuisine, Bhojpuri cuisine, Maithil cuisine and Magahi cuisine. Dal Puri
Bihari culture refers to the culture of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari culture includes Angika culture, Mithila culture, Bhojpuri Culture and the culture of Magadha.
Angika is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken in some parts of the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, as well as in parts of Nepal.
Maithil cuisine, also known as Mithila cuisine, is a part of Indian and Nepalese cuisine. It is the traditional cooking style of Maithils residing in the Mithila region of the subcontinent.
Rupani is a small rural municipality in Saptari District in the Sagarmatha Zone of south-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 2019 Nepal census it had a population of 29,989 people living in about 8500 individual households.
Deo Sun Temple is a Hindu temple in Bihar, India. The temple is a solar shrine, dedicated to Surya, the sun god, for Chhath Puja. The temple is located in Deo Town, Aurangabad. The Temple is unique as it faces west, the setting sun, not the usual rising sun. It is considered to be one of the most sacred places for sun worshiping and Chhath Puja.