Indians are known for having a sweet tooth. From Kashmir to Tamil Nadu, every state has its own flavours and varities of sweets. One such sweet bar is Chikki. Chikki is one of the most loved sweets people enjoy, espeially during winters. It is made of jaggery, ghee and peanuts and therefore, it is also called gudpatti and gud dani.
Places and food are things that create a special place for themselves in our hearts. It is even more speacil when they both come with a blend of interesting history. Lonalva and these yummy bars have been connected to each other for years.
It all started back in the 19th century during colonial rule. Britishers assigned 1000 of workers from Maharashtra to work on building railway roads to connect Mumbai and Lonalva to its closest hill station. Connecting railway lines and working on mountain roads was a tiring and monotonous job. Soon britishers realised that their workers require something to stay highly motivated and energetic on field.
That's when the idea of Chikki emerged. Maganlal Agarwal, a shop owner from Lonavala accepted the challenge and decided to serve something affordable and convenient to carry. He prepared calorie dense bars made up of melted jaggery, ghee, peanuts and named it Maganlal chikki.
Soon, chikki became popular among the working class. After the railways lines were connected, this appetising innovation also travelled places.
Seeing this, the Railway Authorities noticed an opportunity coming their way for quick revenue generation and they commissioned Maganlal to manufacture the chikki and sell it to the people traveling from Mumbai to Lonalva.
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Where can you find the original chikki in Lonavala? Maganlal Chikki, opposite to Dr. Kamath Clinic, Lonavala District, Takve Kurth, Gaothan, Lonavla, Maharashtra.
From the 19th to the 21st century, the craze for chikki has not faded and now you can even notice this luscious sweet on every street of India. One can also find a variety of flavours in chikki, from chocolate to khoya. There are special bars made up of sesame seeds (til) and jaggery known as revdi in India and mostly consumed during winters.
Here is how to prepare homemade chikki:
