Chikki facts for kids
Peanut chikki
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| Alternative names | Kadalai Mittai, (Git) Gud Badam, Palli Patti, Kappalandi Muthai, Thua Tat |
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| Type | Brittle |
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh |
| Main ingredients | Peanuts, jaggery |
Chikki is a super popular traditional Indian sweet! It's a type of crunchy candy, also known as "brittle." Chikki is usually made from different kinds of nuts and a special unrefined sugar called jaggery, or sometimes regular sugar.
There are many yummy types of chikki. The most common one uses peanuts. But you can also find chikki made with puffed or roasted chickpeas, sesame seeds, puffed rice, or even dried coconut. Other nuts like almonds, cashews, and pistachios are also used to make this sweet treat.
This tasty snack has different names depending on where you are in the world. In parts of North India, like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, it's called layiya patti. In Sindh and other Sindhi areas, it's known as layee or lai. Some people in North India also call it gajak or maroonda.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, it's known as gur badam. In the South Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, it's called palli patti. In Kerala, it's Kappalandi muthai, and in Tamil Nadu, it's kadalai mittai. Similar crunchy sweets are also popular in other countries, like pé-de-moleque in Brazil and ka'i ladrillo in Paraguay.
What's in Chikki?
Chikkis are made using a mix of ingredients. While peanuts are common, special chikkis can be made from cashews, almonds, pistachios, and even sesame seeds.
Most of the time, jaggery is used to sweeten chikki. Jaggery is a type of unrefined sugar, often made from sugarcane or palm sap. Sometimes, regular sugar is used instead. Chikki is a very popular sweet snack in both cities and villages across South Asia. In the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, chikki often has more nuts compared to the amount of jaggery. You can find chikkis in both square and round shapes in many places.
How Chikki is Made
Making chikki involves a few steps. First, a hot syrup is made from jaggery and a little bit of water. Then, the nuts are added to this syrup to get fully coated.
After that, the coated nuts are moved to a wooden mold. They are then rolled flat, usually to about 6–8 millimeters thick, using a wooden roller. The flat sheet is placed on a steel plate to cool down. Once it's cool and hard, it's cut into slabs and then packaged. When chikki is made at home in smaller amounts, it's often rolled by hand with wooden rollers.
Some of the most famous chikkis come from specific towns in India. These include Bhuj in Gujarat, Kovilpatti in Tamil Nadu, and places like Lonavala, Matheran, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, and Karjat in Maharashtra. You can also find great chikki from Madurai, Palakkad, Central Travancore, Kannur, and Cherthala in Kerala.
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