Buyers throng to buy sweets on Eid

PESHAWAR:

Rajjar Methai, a famous oldest traditional sweet of Charsadda district mostly made of "Gur", has been attracting a large number of buyers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, especially in Peshawar and Mardan divisions on the eve of Eidul Fitr celebrations.

Rajjar, a small bazaar of the Charsadda district with plenty of sweet shops, has started attracting sweet lovers in droves from across the province, especially from Peshawar, Mardan, and Mohmand, Khyber, and Nowshera districts due to its affordable price and delicious taste.

Located about one kilometer north of Charsadda City, Rajjar bazaar has now turned into a sweets market where the great rush of buyers is being witnessed in all bakery shops.

The traditional sweat was brought in substantial quantity in Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera, and Mardan districts where Rajjar sweets are being sold like a hot cake on eve of Eidul Fitr celebrations.

The consumers are being seen standing in long queues in front of sweet shops to wait for their turn to buy the famous tasty sweets being the identity of Charsadda despite the hot weather.

Haji Muhammad Yaqoob, an owner of Razzar Sweet told APP on Saturday that this hard-earned business was started by his grandfather Israruddin alias Chacha Halwai in 1930 and he belonged to the third generation running it today.

He said the delicious quality of the sweet differentiates it from the rest of the confectionaries in local markets due to its better taste, chemically free, and affordable price.

The people served it to relatives and guests as a special item on Eid, at weddings, engagements, and children's birthday parties to strengthen the bond of love and friendship.

It is a preferred choice of many poor and white-collar people being sold for Rs 300-340 per kilogram in local markets.

Haji Yaqoob said the recipe for the popular sweet has changed over the years, adding only butter, flour, and gur were used by my grandfather in its preparation as sugar was not available in those ancient days.

Nowadays it is being prepared with various ingredients including desi ghee, milk, butter, gur, and white flour enhance its taste.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2022.