Chapda- An indigenous sweet of Sharad Purnima in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Traditional food culture studies signify the impact of various factors on development of a man-plant relationship and Indian festivals are great means to find out the traditional and indigenous culinary knowledge. Ethnobotanical survey was carried out in 2019 to know about traditional food practices of Sharad Purnima (Full moon day of autumn) festival celebrated in Udaipur, situated in South Rajasthan, India. This led to observation of a unique indigenous practice of preparing chapda sweet in Udaipur. This sweet is exclusively prepared only once in a year on the occasion of Sharad Purnima as a tradition. Chapda sweet is offered to Lord Krishna and Vishnu and then distributed among devotees as ‘prasad’. This glass like transparent sweet is prepared in different shapes. It is kept outside in the full moon light and consumed mainly for spiritual and health benefits. The major ingredient is sugar syrup prepared from Saccharum officinarum L. (Sugarcane) stem juice. The addition of gum obtained from Vachellia nilotica P.J.H. Hurter & Mabb., black pepper powder, lemon juice or clarified butter was optional as observed at some of the shops. Its price was ranging from Rs. 30 to 50 per piece according to the size. The present paper describes the traditional knowledge associated with chapda sweet for the first time and further emphasizes the need for conservation of such cultural practices as urbanites of the rapidly growing Udaipur city are still not aware about this traditional sweet and its significance.