History of Soan Papdi, Know how it became the most popular Diwali sweet

New Delhi: As soon as the festival of Diwali arrives, boxes of Son Papdi are displayed in the markets and shops and memes related to Son Papdi are flooded on social media. On the occasion of Diwali, there is definitely a box of Son Papdi in every house and people eat it with great relish. However, Son Papdi has become a special sweet of Diwali, without which even the festival seems incomplete. But have you ever wondered where Son Papdi came from and how it became the pride of Diwali? Today we will tell you the complete history of Son Papdi.

Where did Son Papdi originate?

There is no authentic historical document regarding the origin of Son Papdi. Some consider it a traditional Rajasthani sweet, while others trace its origins to Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is said that Son Papdi originated in the western parts of Maharashtra. Halwais here began mixing sugar, gram flour, and refined flour to form fibers. This is how the fiber-rich sweet, Son Papdi, was created.

Connection with Turkish sweets

Son Papdi is very similar to Pismaniye, an ancient Turkish dessert. The only difference is that Pismaniye is made from roasted flour, while we make it from gram flour. In India, it is known as Shon Papdi, Sun Papdi, Sohan Papdi, and Patisa. Gram flour, refined flour, thick sugar syrup, and pure ghee are used to prepare it. Son Papdi, made from gram flour and refined flour, lasts for about six months. It doesn't contain milk or nuts, so it's not expensive. This makes it easily available to even the most basic laborers. Son Papdi is also known as a roadside sweet, easily available to anyone.

Why did it become famous on Diwali?

Son Papdi is cheaper than cashew katli or other milk-based sweets and doesn't spoil quickly. This is why people started giving Son Papdi to each other on Diwali. Gradually, Son Papdi became such a part of Diwali gifting that memes about its packaging even began appearing on social media.

How is Son Papdi prepared?

The taste of Soan Papdi is as distinctive as its preparation method. It uses gram flour, refined flour, pure ghee, and sugar syrup. First, the gram flour and refined flour are roasted in ghee over low heat. The sugar syrup is then prepared. The syrup is cooked to the correct temperature, cooled, and then strained and folded several times into the roasted flour mixture. This process creates fine fibers. Finally, it is cut into desired shapes and garnished with almonds, pistachios, and cardamom.