Gaya Tilkut is a famous, GI-tagged sweet made from dry-roasted white sesame seeds and jaggery or sugar. The creation of Tilkut is a highly skilled manual process passed down through generations of halwais in Gaya.
1. Hand Pounding
The roasted sesame is mixed with hot jaggery syrup and manually pounded on stone slabs with heavy wooden hammers for nearly 2 hours. This pounding breaks down the seeds, creating a smooth, light texture that crumbles instantly in the mouth.
2. Winter Festival Season
Tilkut is highly popular during the winter months, especially around Makar Sankranti. We review the hand-pounding process and the history of tilkut-making in Gaya.
