Thandai

Thandai is an Indian cold drink prepared with a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon kernels, rose petals, pepper, poppy seeds, cardamom, saffron, milk and sugar. It is native to India and is often associated with the Maha Shivaratri and Holi or Holla mahalla festival. Thandai , as the name suggests, comes from the word thanda (cool). An age-old drink that, according to legend, is Lord Shiva’s beverage of choice, thandai was popularised in North India around 1903. Originally, thandai was a fruit and spice-based drink, not the milky-spiced concoction we are used to today. The nuts are a good source of calcium, fat, protein, and fiber, which help you digest food and prevent issues like constipation. On the other hand, ingredients like fennel seeds have anti-inflammatory and cooling properties which keep gastric issues at bay. Thandai has a nutty milky taste. It has a heady aroma and sweet scented flavors of the rose, cardamom and saffron coupled together with a some hits of pungency from the black pepper. Thandai is one of those drinks that is made during Holi Festival and Mahashivratri. The word Thandai comes from the Hindi word Thanda, which means “cool”. As per the legend, it is Lord Shiva’s beverage of choice, and it was popularised in Northern India around 1903. Bhang-infused Thandai was first offered to Lord Shiva and is also popular during Mahashivratri. The first records of Thandai date back to 1000 BC, making it one of the oldest drinks in the country, if not the world. In the northern states of the country, the temperature gets quite high during these months.