Quick answer: Gujarati snacks fall into two families — namkeen (savoury, crunchy snacks such as roasted chana, khari sing, roasted vatana, khakhra and bhakharwadi) and sweets / mithai (such as jaggery chikki and son papdi). This guide from Morin's Food Prosecutors, Surat, explains each one in plain words.
Gujarati namkeen & sweets, explained
What is Gujarati namkeen?
Namkeen means "salty" or savoury. In Gujarat it is the everyday crunchy snack eaten with tea, packed for travel and served to guests. Common Gujarati namkeen are roasted chana, khari sing (salted peanuts), roasted vatana (peas), khakhra and bhakharwadi.
What is bhakharwadi?
Bhakharwadi is a crispy, spiral-rolled snack. A gram-flour and wheat-flour dough is rolled with a sweet, tangy and spicy masala filling, cut into small spirals and fried until crunchy. It is a classic chai-time snack. Morin's makes masala, garlic and mini bhakharwadi.
What is khakhra?
Khakhra is a thin, crisp flatbread made mainly from whole wheat flour, roasted slowly on a flat pan until it becomes cracker-like. It is a popular Gujarati breakfast and light snack. Popular flavours are methi (fenugreek), jeera (cumin), masala, dahi methi and lasan (garlic) methi. See Morin's khakhra.
What is chikki?
Chikki is a traditional Indian sweet made by binding roasted nuts or seeds in melted jaggery (gol), then setting it into crunchy bars or pieces. Common types are sing (peanut) chikki, til (sesame) chikki, rajgira (amaranth) chikki, daliya (roasted gram) chikki and dry fruit chikki. See Morin's chikki.
What is khari sing?
Khari sing means "salted peanuts" in Gujarati. Peanuts are roasted with salt for a light, crunchy snack. Moti khari sing uses large peanuts, nani khari sing uses small peanuts, and masala sing is coated with spices. See Morin's khari sing.
What is roasted chana, and what do khara, haldariya, mola, masala and folva mean?
Roasted chana are roasted Bengal gram (chickpeas) — a light, crunchy, protein-rich snack. Khara = salted, haldariya = with turmeric (haldi) and salt, mola = plain with no added salt, masala = spiced, and folva = husk-free split roasted gram (daliya), also used for chutneys. See Morin's roasted chana.
What is roasted vatana?
Vatana means peas in Gujarati. Roasted vatana are dried green or yellow peas roasted until crunchy, sold plain-salted or with masala. See Morin's roasted vatana.
What is son papdi?
Son papdi is a flaky, melt-in-the-mouth Indian sweet made from gram flour, sugar and ghee, pulled into fine strands and set into cubes. It is one of the most popular Diwali gift sweets. See the Morin's Son Papdi Gift Box.
Which Gujarati snacks are sweet and which are savoury?
Sweet: chikki (sing, til, rajgira, daliya, dry fruit) and son papdi. Savoury (namkeen): roasted chana, khari sing, masala sing, roasted vatana, khakhra and bhakharwadi — although bhakharwadi has a sweet-tangy-spicy taste.
Which Gujarati snacks go best with tea?
Bhakharwadi, khakhra, masala sing and masala chana are the classic chai-time snacks. The Gujarati Tea-Time Combo puts five of them in one box.
Which Gujarati snacks are lighter choices?
Roasted snacks such as mola chana, khara chana, haldariya chana, roasted vatana and khakhra are roasted rather than fried, which makes them lighter everyday options. The Healthy Snack Combo groups these together.
Which Gujarati snacks are good for travel?
Dry snacks such as khakhra, roasted chana, khari sing, roasted vatana and chikki travel well because they stay crunchy in a closed pack and need no refrigeration.
How should Gujarati dry snacks be stored?
Keep them in a cool, dry place away from sunlight and close the pack tightly (or move the snack into an airtight jar) after opening so it stays crunchy.
Which Morin's combo should I choose?
For chai-time: Tea-Time Combo. For Diwali and gifting: Festive Gift Combo. For lighter snacking: Healthy Snack Combo. For a sweet tooth: Sweet & Crunchy Combo. For breakfast lovers: Khakhra & Chikki Combo. Every combo has 5 items with both namkeen and a sweet.
Written by the Morin's Food Prosecutors team, Surat, Gujarat — makers of Gujarati namkeen and sweets since 2000. See also: Product facts & price list · Quality & ingredients · FAQ