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Fusion sweets: Fit for fairytale weddings
From cranberry laddoos to ghevar topped with edible flowers, take your pick from chic, new-age mithais wrapped in the finery of tradition
Aromatic gujiyas encased in hazelnut cocoa, ghewar topped with edible gold and flowers, gin ladoos embedded with juicy cranberries — home-grown brands and skilled confectioners are taking traditional, classic recipes and giving them chic fusion twists. And the result is sophisticated, bespoke boxes of luxury and aesthetic-looking sweets. A rising demand in the past few years has led to an uptick in the consumption of premium mithai, especially during the wedding season. According to a recent food trends report from Godrej, over 50% food experts see a demand for gourmet mithai. And the market is responding.
Gourmet mithai?
Sid Mathur, founder of Khoya Mithai, a brand known for best-sellers such as Pista Longe Slab and Pink Coconut Ladoos, feels that the term could refer to both — making traditional sweets like they used to be prepared and fusion sweets, made with quality ingredients and packed beautifully. “In a sense, all traditional mithai used to be gourmet. The quality of ingredients, the art of making it, the attention to detail, and small-batch production is what it constitutes,” shares Mathur.
As they come with a premium tag, gourmet sweets are truly exclusive, but they’ve become a hit at weddings. “With the current growth seen in the wedding industry, opportunities are also growing. Gifting is becoming an integral part of a wedding. People go for luxury mithai brands for the taste, innovation and customisation they offer,” says Devika Sharma, who started her venture Shaadi Ka Ladoo in 2020 after her wedding where all the sweets were made from her mother and grandmother’s recipes.
Luxe innovations
Entrepreneur Tuba Mirza who co-runs Meethi by Wok In The Clouds, adds that the element of innovation added to traditional, handmade mithai heightens their perennial charm. “Patisserie items are nice but the emotional connection with halwa, gulab jamun, ladoo and barfi can’t be matched, and an imaginative makeover makes them even more exciting,” says Mirza, whose innovations include Anjeer Kalakand and Aam Papad Laddoo. Mathur adds that the gourmet sweet market was usually dominated by international confectionery. But one can see a change in the trend with people celebrating traditions with a contemporary twist. “While cakes and macarons have always been there, now you have so many out-of-the box options that are equally chic,” says Mathur.
Just the right amount of sweet
Unlike their traditional versions loaded with sugar and fat, the gourmet avatar offers healthier, premium alternatives for the calorie-conscious. “Jaggery and sugar content in our mithai is 60% less than commercial sweets. For some preparations, we also use desi khaand. There are no artificial sweeteners added, shares chef Neha Lakhani, who owns Arq, a brand known for artisanal Indian desserts. Sharma adds, “All our sweets and savouries are made with pure and premium ingredients. — our Khajoor Ladoo is completely sugar-free.
From the price point
In most cases, sweets are made in bulk, using flavour enhancers to mask poor ingredient quality, use of colourants, with little attention to packaging, points out Mathur. Being handcrafted and prepared in smaller batches, gourmet mithai does cost a lot more (think ₹5,000 for a box of 36 ladoos) than store-bought sweets. “Every piece is artisanal and artistically made, with a lot of attention to detail, and using of high-quality ingredients,” states Lakhani.
The future of fusion
Neha Niwas, founder of Berfila which specialises in delights such as Popcorn-Caramel Barfi and gourmet ghewars, says, “The vision is to raise standards of Indian sweets to international standards in terms of flavours and presentation. There is still a huge demand for festive sweets. [The fusion] helps address what was missing earlier — the exclusiveness and richness.”
