Local delight: Delectable treat for all occasions

Amrassi is not just a bakery product, but a souvenir and a ritual.

SWAT: The idyllic valley of Swat has more to offer than just sights and sounds, its desserts have a following of their own. Locals and tourists alike find themselves devouring the local delight, amrassi, a round bread-like biscuit, made from flour, sugar and oil. The sweetness of the bakery product complements the scenery and pleasant weather, as scores of people make it a point to take the delight home with them.

At a shop selling amrassis, a tourist from Lahore had this to say about the traditional sweet, “You cannot have enough of it. It’s quite simply irresistible. I had heard about it from a number of people which made me want to taste it for myself,” he added.

Another tourist from Peshawar, Bismillah Khan said, “Before coming to Swat, my mother asked me to bring amrassi as it’s a speciality of this area. Our trip is incomplete without stocking up on the delegacy.”

Wadan, another customer said, “No occasion is complete without this sweet; it’s offered on festivities, like Eid. Newly-wed women returning to their in-laws’ make sure they bring along amrassi. Turning up without the sweet is considered a bad omen.”

Hussain Bacha, a dealer of amrassi in Mingora Bazar told The Express Tribune, “I have been selling amrassis for 22 years. This is a pure treat made with rice flour, sugar and clarified butter and cannot be adulterated. It is not your average mitthai.” Amrasis are liked by people of all ages and are used as alternate to bakery items.

Though the delight is enjoyed by people of all ages, but women like it the most, as it is more of a ritual. “I would stock up on the sweet each time I returned to my in-laws after marriage. After three years of marriage, I once came back without amrassis and my mother-in-law teased me about the omission for a long time,” said Gul Zarina, an old  woman who was purchasing the sweets for her newly-wed daughter to take to her in-laws.

A shopkeeper said that the amrassis are transported to other parts of the country and abroad as presents. “Ramazan and Eid are peak times for sales,” he added. Amrassis are sold for Rs90 per kilogramme and a single piece is available for Rs10 to Rs20 depending on its size.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2012.