The variety of snacks available has never been greater. Grocery store shelves are filled with Indian and Western snacks. The types of available snacking options mean food lovers- which includes everyone- have never had it so good. People can choose among Western snacks like candy bars, chips, cookies and Indian snacks like samosas, kachori and gujiya. It is fair to say there are nearly an endless variety of snacks available today.
A brief comparison of the kinds of snacks available and peoples’ experiences of them are mentioned below.
Candy Bars
The wide variety of Western snacks available today is astounding. In a single food category of Western snacks, there are a vast number of products. There are literally dozens of different kinds of candy bars and each is made with a unique chocolate. Those who love plain chocolate that tastes like a chocolaty drink love Dairy Milk. The Dairy Milk is a simple, no-frills, chocolate bar. It is both simple and delicious. Among those older than 30, it is the chocolate they grew up eating. It was the most popular choice among lovers of chocolate before newer brands came to India.
Among the newer brands to enter India, the Kit Kat is amongst the most popular. Its chocolate on the outside and crunchy wafer on the inside proved an irresistible combination. Among the young, Kit Kats are exchanged to demonstrate friendship and affection.
Chocolate brands like Snickers, Mars and Twix are very popular. As they are American, these chocolates are heavier than Indian, Swiss and British chocolate varieties. The Snickers candy bar has rich chocolate covering delicious roasted peanuts. The candy bar is marketed as a snack that comes to the rescue when hunger strikes. Admittedly, it meets the expectations of those who are hungry.
The Mars candy bar is the same size as the Snickers candy bar, but the chocolate inside is more luxurious than Snickers. The Mars bar has no peanuts. Those who eat the Mars bar get to enjoy different layers of chocolate each with a different flavour. The Twix candy bar is heavier on the stomach than either the Snickers or Mars bar. It has a rich chocolate overlaid on a thick, dense sweet wafer-like crust. While it is not marketed as a snack that fills one up, a Twix bar can be very filling.
Another chocolate snack worth mentioning is the Toblerone. The Toblerone is a premium Swiss chocolate which many believe is far superior to any other chocolate sold in convenience stores. It has a distinct triangular shape that can make eating the chocolate harder than it should be. The chocolate is of a more delicate quality than most others, and its nougat flavour makes it unique.
Samosa and jalebi
In India, there is a greater variety of snacks available than even the United States. In India, there is virtually every snack found in the US and every Indian bite. Hence the range of snacking options in India is vast.
The samosa is perhaps the most beloved Indian snack. A Westerner would describe it as a pastry stuffed with potatoes eaten with a spicy sauce. The samosa is fried in oil, meaning it may not be the best for health, especially for those who suffer from high cholesterol. Nevertheless, an average Indian is far more familiar with the samosa than he or she is with any other Indian snack, especially in North India where the dish originates.
Another beloved Indian snack is the jalebi. A single glance at jalebis is often enough to make peoples mouths water. It is a sweet, rich snack that like the samosa is fried in oil in a giant cauldron. While the samosa is a snack that can be eaten before a full meal, the jalebi is a sweet that often follows a full meal. A jalebi is much lighter than a samosa; however, there are some varieties of jalebi that are larger and very heavy. The size of a jalebi varies far more than the size of a samosa. Indians celebrate important occasions by eating sweets; the jalebi is a popular sweet at such events.
Papdi chaat and raj kachori are other popular Indian snacks. Like the jalebi, the very mention of these sweet and tangy foods is enough to make Indians mouth water. Papdi chaat has 'papdi which is made from flour. To the papdi are added potatoes, spicy sauces, curd and toppings like pomegranate. A good recipe of papdi chaat never gets old. An Indian can eat papdi chat every other day and never tire of its flavour. More than men, women are likelier to order papdi chaat.
The raj kachori is similar to papdi chaat except that it is eaten in a large "kachori" which is a wafer-thin edible crust. The kachori is stuffed with papdi, potatoes, spicy sauce and curd. Like papdi chaat, the raj kachori is more popular among women than men.
A comparison between these snacks
Before comparing these snacks, it is essential to note that these are just a handful of Western and Indian snacks.
Western snacks like chocolates are super sweet while, besides jalebi, the remaining Indian snacks are more spicy and tangy than they are sweet. The nutritional content of Indian snacks is undoubtedly more significant than that of Western snacks. Snacks like chocolates are laden with calories and regularly eating them is sure to cause weight gain. On the other hand, Indian snacks like samosas have nutritional content because they contain potatoes and bread. Similarly, papdi chaat and raj kachori also have nutritional content because they contain potatoes. Besides, the Indian snacks mentioned contain turmeric, which is an anti-carcinogen. Those who eat the spicy Indian snacks mentioned above are at a lower than average risk of contracting cancer.
However, chocolates are not bereft of value. If you regularly eat chocolate, then it helps to enliven the mood and arguably increases cognitive function as well.
With these thoughts in mind, people can strike a healthy balance between eating modern and traditional snacks. Traditional and Indian snacks can be incorporated into a healthy diet. Like eating most things in life, it is best to eat such snacks in moderation.
(The author is owner and founder of Kitchen Kraft Luxury Catering, New Delhi)