Tinseltown sweets

What comes to mind when you say ‘Exotica’? Rolling meadows flanked by the Swiss Alps; a medieval castle in the middle of nowhere; a desolate white-sand beach kissed by aquamarine waves, or maybe a tropical island with a rustic villa… Now pause for a second, and replace these painting-like images with a tiny wooden box with four pieces of mithai. Wrapped in golden foil, the sweets are the size of a regular barfi or peda in the friendly neighbourhood shop. And yet it’s called Exotica. Look closer and you’ll find that the golden foil is actual gold powder. Inside, the sweet is all pine nuts and saffron. A kilogram of Exotica can set you back by only ₹30,000 — much less than the a holiday to the Swiss Alps or an island in the Caribbean. We can’t say if the edible Exotica satisfied souls, but it continues to enjoy its place in the sun for being one of the most expensive Diwali treats in India. It was created in 2010, at Chhappan Bhog in Lucknow. Within hours, eager buyers thronged the shop in Sadar Bazaar. TV channels and newspaper reporters followed suit. And it was a matter of days before friends and relatives in Mumbai and Delhi received Exotica by courier.

India is one of the biggest consumers of gold in the world — almost always neck-to-neck with China for the top spot. Reports suggest that almost 650 tonnes of gold were consumed till October last year, out of which 12 tonnes is reported to have been of the culinary variety. Little surprise that some of that edible gold adds glitter to the festive season. Far from the hustle bustle of Lucknow’s Sadar Bazaar, Shreya’s Sweets, in Mangalore’s Hampankatta, is another place where this transition metal plays a part in pumping up Diwali sales. Though five times cheaper than the Chhappan Bhog marvel, Shreya’s Golden range is coated with 23.5-carat gold leaf. Studded with cashews and pistachios, these made-to-order sweets come for around ₹400 a piece.

Not far from the coastal city, Bengaluru’s confectioners are using gold in a more subtle manner. At the cake shop at Novotel Techpark, a type of vanilla praline has long enjoyed festive attention. The soft cream in these pralines is made with vanilla from the sprawling plantations in Coorg. And the final touch is the delicate sprinkle of golden dust.

The shine in your Diwali gift hamper doesn’t depend on gold alone — it can also come from other fine ingredients and smart, innovative thinking. Chocolatier Mubeena Shariff’s idea of celebratory fare is also far from ghee-soaked confections. The Bangalorean depends on raspberry caramel and passion fruit caramel, truffles and chocolate chips for her dressy hampers. Trained at the French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center) in New York, Shariff makes chocolates in several flavours — lemon basil, chilli and green tea are only some of those.

If you have completely abandoned your love for laddoo, boondi and kheer, there are more chocolates to fill the sugar vacuum. Founded by Nitin Chordia, a ‘chocolate taster’, Cocoatrait is a subscription service from Chennai that brings to your doorstep the best chocolates from India and around the world. Is there a better way to show affection than by gifting a year-long monthly subscription for chocolates? However, if you’re in the market for a short-term gift, they also have a mix-and-match festive box where you can pick from several different brands such as Mason & Co, Bean Therapy, Earth Loaf and Pascati. These come in a vintage tin box and will contain four chocolate bars of your choice.

Giving a subtle yet sparkling twist to the festive fare is Luminaire, lantern-shaped boxes from TeaBox, also a Bengaluru company. It contains nine drums of tea, each one a special mix to invoke the spirit of the holiday. We’d like to put in a special word for the Kesar Delight Chai and the Winter Spice Chai.

And Delhi, whose air has just turned nippy, is showing much love for hampers both traditional and quirky. Moving away from patisseries in five-star hotels and Old Delhi favourites like Chaina Ram, Gourmet Jar has preserves and relishes for the canapés and croutons at Diwali cocktails. To slay the hangover beast after a night of alcohol and teen patti , there are gourmet marmalades and jams to slather over crunchy toast or pancake with.

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