The mithai industry is undergoing an immense revolution, imagine what the contemporary mithaiwalas are offering- from cranberry laddoos to ghewar topped with edible flowers, take your pick from chic, new-age mithais wrapped in the finery of tradition. Or aromatic gujiyas encased in hazelnut cocoa, ghewar topped with edible gold and flowers, gin laddoos embedded with juicy cranberries.
Well, the new age skilled confectioners are captivating traditional, classic recipes and giving them chic fusion twists. And the result is classy, custom-made boxes of luxury and aesthetic-looking sweets. The demand for premium mithai has been on the rise, especially during festivals and wedding seasons.
According to a recent food trends report from Godrej, over 50% of food experts see a demand for gourmet mithai. And the market is responding.
Gourmet mithai is a blend of both original traditional sweets and fusion sweets, made with quality ingredients and packed exquisitely. In fact, all traditional mithai used to be gourmet. The quality of ingredients, the art of making it, the attention to detail, and small-batch production are what it constitutes.
As they come with a premium tag, gourmet sweets are truly exclusive, but they’ve become a hit at weddings. Gifting is becoming an integral part of a wedding. People go for luxury mithai brands for the taste, innovation, and customization they offer.
Luxe innovations are the element of innovation added to traditional, handmade mithai that intensifies their persistent charm. The gourmet sweet market was usually dominated by international confectionery, though a change in the trend can now be seen with people celebrating traditions with a contemporary twist. While cakes and macarons have always been there, now you have so many out-of-the-box mithai options that are equally chic.
Unlike their traditional versions loaded with sugar and fat, the gourmet avatar offers healthier, premium alternatives for the calorie-conscious. Jaggery and sugar content in gourmet mithai are lower than in commercial sweets. For some preparations, the new age mithai company also uses desi khaand. There are no artificial sweeteners added, as most gourmet sweets and savouries are made with pure and premium ingredients.
Compared to our traditional mithais, the gourmet mithai are handcrafted and prepared in smaller batches, hence costing a lot more (think ₹5,000 for a box of 36 laddoos) than store-bought sweets. Every piece is artisanal and artistically made, with a lot of attention to detail and using high-quality ingredients.
The idea is to upturn the standards of Indian sweets to international standards in terms of flavours and presentation. There is still a huge demand for festive sweets.