Tilkut
Encyclopedia
Tilkut is a sweet savoury made in the Indian states of Bihar
and Jharkhand
. It is made of pounded 'tila' or sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) and jaggery or sugar. The best tilkut is said to be from Gaya
. References to this dry sweet is found in the in Buddhist literature as Palala.
Normally, three types of tilkuts are available - the sugar tilkut is white in colour, the sakkar tilkut is made of unrefined sugar and is light brown in colour and the gur tilkut is made of jaggery and is dark brown in colour. Each of these varieties have their own flavour. However, the white variety made of sugar is more popular and the other two varieties are losing out. The circular shaped savoury is called tilkut and the smaller nut-sized ones are called tillouri.
Winter is the period when sugar cane is harvested. It is also the period when large quantities of tilkut are made in many towns and even villages. However, as the demand persists throughout the year, smaller quantities are made round the year.
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
and Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. It is made of pounded 'tila' or sesame seeds (Sesamum indicum) and jaggery or sugar. The best tilkut is said to be from Gaya
Gaya, India
Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...
. References to this dry sweet is found in the in Buddhist literature as Palala.
Normally, three types of tilkuts are available - the sugar tilkut is white in colour, the sakkar tilkut is made of unrefined sugar and is light brown in colour and the gur tilkut is made of jaggery and is dark brown in colour. Each of these varieties have their own flavour. However, the white variety made of sugar is more popular and the other two varieties are losing out. The circular shaped savoury is called tilkut and the smaller nut-sized ones are called tillouri.
Winter is the period when sugar cane is harvested. It is also the period when large quantities of tilkut are made in many towns and even villages. However, as the demand persists throughout the year, smaller quantities are made round the year.