In a fine winter evening while crossing the streets, the aroma of jaggery and sesame seeds will definitely woo you to have one. That awesome moment when you are craving for sweets and get that perfect crunchy bite, filled with Jaggery (gur) and sesame seed (til). Gajak happens to be the sweet partner chilling winter along with desi Indian delicacy.
Gajak gives us the nostalgia of grandma’s cooking and add up to our childhood memories too. A famous Marathi saying ” til gud kha god god bola” Which means eat sesame seeds and jaggery and speak good.
Story of origin of Gajak
There is a story behind the existence of gajak as well, long time ago when India was ruled by the Mughal Emperors. They were non-vegetarians so they eat fish and meat to get strength, where as king of Hindu Dynasty uses til, gur, chana for their soldiers to get energy, they used to feed their horses gur, chana for the energy during war. Therefore people at that time started using chana with gud, peanuts and til in order to get same level of energy. Later mixture of many material like til, gud, peanut, chana, dry fruit, kaju, badam ghee etc, become a part of sweet delicacy. This is how Gajak was introduced, with time it has changed but the originality is still the same.
Source : manjulaskitchen.com
Traditional connection of Gajak
Gajak has mythological connection too, in the month of January sankranti or utrayan is being celebrated throughout the country. The derivation from gajak such as til laddu, til barfi etc. constitutes til as a signature element.
The nutritional value of Gajak is very high, as it contains pea nuts, sesame seeds, jaggery, and little butter. It is rich source of instant energy and can be considered as mood booster, without getting heavy on your belly fat.
Foodies who love to eat Gajak have a plethora option of Gajak. Now choose which one you like to have this season –
Gajak rolls
These are very famous type of gajak, comes in two varieties one is filled with soft condensed milk (Khoya) and one without core. Garnished with pista and nuts you can have it in one go.
Source : kailashbhai.com
Peanut chikky
This is made of Gur and Peanut, little harder but crispy. It gives you a sweet taste of gur and crunch of peanut.
Source : kailashbhai.com
Sugar Gajak
In this you will find a different flavour, here Jaggery has replaced by sugar.
Source : kailashbhai.com
Rewri
It will give you a tough bite in comparison to others with a munching.
Source : holi-gifts.indiangiftsportal.com
Soft grinded sesame seeds gajak
These are so delicate it will melt in mouth. Goodness of sesame seeds and jaggery tantalizing your taste buds.
Source : tradeindia.com
Gajak’s connection with Indore is not new; the roots are visible from mid-thirties, when sheetal gajak the famous name came in existence.Gajak if not made properly will surely go to the dustbin, as it needs a pristine and expertise only a specialized chef can prepare it.
