Rourkela: Tilkut, a Bihari sweet delicacy, is catching the imagination of all as this special dessert is sold in the Steel City, especially during the Makar Sankranti festival. “Earlier this sweetmeat used to be brought here from outside. However, for the last couple of years it is also being prepared here,” said Harish Sinha, a businessman from Barbil, who was here to procure it for sale in Barbil.
Similarly, many businessmen come here just before the Makar Sankranti from Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and even from Manoharpur in Jharkhand to buy the stuff. Tilkut is a sweet dish prepared from the mixture of sesame or til or rasi, jaggery/sugar and khoa. “The best and the costliest one is prepared by mixing khoa. A kg of Tilkut goes up to Rs 550,” said Prabhudayal, a businessman who deals in it. When asked, he said, “During the season when the demand is high I sell around 5-6 tons of Tilkut.” The unit price for one kilo of Tilkut, made by mixing jaggery or sugar, varies between Rs 200-220, he informed. The process of making Tilkut is very time-consuming and is prepared painstakingly as a slight deviation will spoil everything including its taste and its crispy nature,” said Praveen Kumar, a confectioner. The sugar and sesame are mixed to prepare it and then very slowly the two are mixed to create the perfect bonding. A traditional sweetmeat maker uses a particular wood to prepare it and then slowly bangs the mixture to create a condensed paste and gradually it becomes ready for consumption,” said Kailash.
Earlier, this was being brought here from Gaya in Bihar. However, now the sweetmeat is prepared here. “This is most sought-after items among the Hindi-speaking people but now Odias are also purchasing this for Makar celebration,” Smita Hansda said.