Makar Sankranti 2023: Traditional foods and sweets eaten on Thai Pongal, Uttarayan

The festival that is also known as Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu, and Uttarayan in Gujarat, is a day to feast on sweets like gajak made of sesame and chikki made of peanuts and to relish savoury food like khichdi.

Makar Sankranti: Tilgul is a dessert made of sesame seeds and jaggery. (Representative image from Pixabay)

Happy Makar Sankranti 2023: Makar Sankranti is celebrated across different states in India with different names and in myriad forms. This year, Makar Sankranti will be celebrated on 14 and 15 January 2023. The festival that is also known as Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu, and Uttarayan in Gujarat, is a day to feast on sweets like gajak made of sesame and chikki made of peanuts and to relish savoury food like khichdi.

Here are the popular food items that people prepare on Makar Sankranti across the country —

Tilgul or Tilkut

Tilgul is a dessert made of sesame seeds and jaggery. Both these ingredients are known for their warming qualities during the biting cold and for other health benefits as well. Bihar's Gaya is famous for its crisp and sweet tilkut. Other versions of the sweetmeat made with a variety of ingredients are also known as gajak in many regions on north India.

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Khichdi

Eating khichdi with ghee on Makar Sankranti is considered lucky and believed to bring luck and prosperity. Khichdi can be eaten with many different sides, including yoghurt, papad, bharta/chokha (mashed vegetables) and pickles.

Laddoo

The ingredients for laddoo, a particular kind of sweet ball, are wheat, ghee, and sugar. Like other festivals, laddoos are people's favourite on Makar Sankranti as well. People of all ages enjoy different varities of laddoos made from ingredients chickpea flour, sesame, coconut, sugar and jaggery.

Puran Poli

In Maharastra, people prepare puran poli during Makar Sankranti. Whole wheat flour, ghee, and a sweet filling of chana dal and jaggery is used to make it.

Gudpapdi

Another well-liked traditional dish enjoyed during Makar Sankranti is gudpapdi. The ingredients for this dessert are whole wheat flour, ghee, and jaggery. The dough is divided into little squares or diamonds, which are then thinly rolled out and deep-fried in ghee until crisp and golden brown.

Pitha

Pitha is a type of customary cake that is made during Makar Sankranti. It is typically filled with coconut or other sweet fillings and is produced with a blend of rice flour and jaggery. In Odisha people prepares a traditional cake called kakara pitha. It is prepared as little, spherical cakes from a batter of rice flour, jaggery, and coconut.

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