Halwai

Halwai (Mithaya in MP, Guria in Orissa, mayara in Bengal etc) are the traditional confectionaers in India. They sell

* Sweets: grain and/or milk based, dry (like laddus), moist (like barfis) or dipped in syrup (like gulabjamun)
* Savory snacks: hot (like samosas or pakoras) or dry (like dal biji etc).

The word Halwai is derived from Halawa, often a wheat-based sweet. What they sell is sometimes termed as mishtanna, (literally sweetend grain based items).

Traditionally Indians ate food cooked inside their own homes, however food cooked with ghee/oil by halwais was considered to be an acceptable exception [The tribes and castes of the Central Provinces of IndiaBy R V Russell, R.B.H. Lal, Volume III, 1916] .

Recently some of the Halwai have adopted modern manufactoring approaches and produce packaged sweets in large quantities, some of which is exported to other countries. They have often chosen to keep old fashioned names from previous generations like Ghasitaram, Haldiram, Chandu etc.

Since sweets are given to children and are offered to gods during worship [Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food OfferingsGabriella Eichinger Ferro-Luzzi Current Anthropology, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Sep., 1977), pp. 507-514 ] , purity of sweets is considered to be an important attribute.

See also

* List of Indian sweets and desserts
* Ghantewala, Haldiram

References