Thekua

Thekua is a thick fried sweet made with wheat flour, ghee, and jaggery or sugar. It is found in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and also in southern Nepal, and it is known as an offering for Chhath Puja. Round or leaf-shaped, it bears patterns on its surface pressed in with wooden molds or similar tools.

Patterned thekua offered at the Chhath festival (Kolkata, 2013, Biswarup Ganguly / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0). Downscaled version from the source; content unchanged since retrieval.

Thekua arranged on a plate (Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, 2019, Janak Bhatta / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Downscaled version from the source; content unchanged since retrieval.

A flour sweet that is fried, not baked

Fat is rubbed into whole wheat flour, and the mixture is brought together with a sweet liquid such as melted jaggery. Some versions add fennel, cardamom or coconut. Rather than being kneaded at length to develop strong elasticity, the dough is brought together firm enough to hold the pattern of the mold, then divided into small pieces and pressed flat.

Because of the texture of the whole wheat flour and the color of the sugar, thekua turns a brown color unlike that of white wheat cookies. When a pattern is pressed into the surface, dough that is too soft blurs the shape, while dough that is too dry cracks easily. Adjusting the moisture a little at a time makes the dough easier to release from the mold after the pattern is pressed.

Leaves and lines left by wooden molds

Thekua molds are carved with leaf veins or geometric patterns. At home, lines may also be made with a comb-like tool or a fork. The pattern on the surface is decoration, and it is also a trace of each piece having been shaped by hand.

Because thekua is thick, it is fried over heat that keeps the surface from darkening too much, and the result is checked after it has cooled. While hot it is somewhat soft, and once cooled the outer texture becomes distinct. The color and flavor also change depending on whether jaggery or white sugar is used.

An offering to the sun, and a sweet taken home

Chhath Puja is a festival honoring the sun god and other deities. Thekua is used as an offering, and after the festival it is shared with family and neighbors. Beyond being bought in shops and eaten, it is tied to the custom of making it at home, offering it and sharing it.

In Birgunj, Nepal, families carry offerings in baskets to the waterside and offer thekua to the sun god along with bananas, coconuts, ginger and other items. Prayers to the setting sun in the evening are followed the next morning by greeting the rising sun. Thekua made for the festival is offered together with these fruits and plants.

Glossary