We Indians are well known for our sweet tooth – after all, we do love to gorge on mithai, citing one excuse or another! We need our sweet fix on all festive occasions, celebrations, and even the humble dinner as dessert. No wonder we are a nation of almost 50 million diabetics, in part due to our fascination with anything sweet.
On the positive side though, our range of mithai can give a run for the money to the best dessert and pastry chefs in the world – each state and region contributes to the ever growing list of these delicacies, loaded with sugar, ghee and a little bit of magic!
However, as the younger generation grows more health-conscious, there is a realization that the unabated hunger for mithai does lead to expanding waistlines and worse, if abused, given their rich ingredients. Chocolate companies in India and overseas have quietly picked up on this small but growing need, and are now marketing their products as a substitute for the firmly entrenched mithai. Here’s what we, at Gujarat Gifts feel about the chocolate vs mithai debate:
1) Standardization: Popular chocolate brands by companies like Cadbury or Ferrero Rocher give a fairly consistent taste over the years, something which even the best mithai shops in India struggle to do, especially during peak occasions. So buying a pack of chocolates doesn’t quite need the skills needed to hunt for just the perfect sandesh!
Advantage : Chocolates
2) Flavors & Texture: There’s no denying the fact that Chocolates come in a wide range of flavors – bitter, sweet, fruit-filled and lots more. However, when it comes to the sheer range of aromas, texture and flavors, mithai is simply too hard to beat – just walk into any decent mithai shop, and prepare to get dazzled by the visual and olfactory delight! This is on top of the heavenly taste which leaves you wanting ‘one more’.
Advantage : Mithai
3) Diet friendly: While mithai shops have bucked to the trend, and started offering low-sugar, or sugerfree mithai, giving some relief to the dieters and diabetics; chocolates have the huge advantage of giving exact nutritional information on the packaging, allowing the consumer to see the exact ingredients, as well as calories, fat content, carbohydrates and more. There’s no denying that while there are chocolates loaded with calories, the mandatory nutrition label does allow the discerning consumer to know exactly what she is consuming. While some pre-packaged mithai offer these attributes now, the majority of mithai sold by the kilo cannot match this convenience.
Advantage : Chocolates
4) Cultural Significance: Mithai is deeply embedded in the Indian culture and ethos, and is a must for important milestones like weddings, promotions, festive celebrations and more. Moreover, there is a certain romance in traveling to different corners of the country, and experiencing the cultural difference by consuming the local sweets made there; or getting a box for people back home. This aspect cannot be matched by the Chocolates produced in gleaming factories, and available wherever one might be.
Advantage : Mithai
So there you have it – it seems to be a draw between these two favorites! While chocolatiers make a strong case for substituting mithai with their products, the ever popular mithai continues to hold onto its glory. Why choose when you can have both, we say, and leave the final decision to you. Check both these out, and decide for yourself!
Mithai: http://www.gujaratgifts.com/sweets-and-dryfruits/sweets.html
Chocolates: http://www.gujaratgifts.com/chocolates.html
Bon Appetit!
