What to eat during Diwali 2024 and where to find it in North Jersey

In the age of social media, artificial intelligence and misinformation, it is sometimes difficult to know what is real and what is fake. Did Pepperidge Farm really replace goldfish with Chilean sea bass? (Yes.) Is there still pumpkin spice Spam, and if I ate it, my liver would anthropomorphize and say, “I just can’t do this anymore, buddy?” (We’ll never know.)

All this means is that anything that celebrates knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness is a worthy pursuit. Attend Diwali or Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights that celebrates good over evil.

Diwali will begin on October 31, 2024 and will be celebrated for five days. Typically, the date of Diwali falls in the fall at the end of the harvest season. The date of Diwali is determined by the lunar calendar and begins with the new moon and the darkest night of the Hindu calendar – Panchanga.

People celebrate by displaying lanterns (often clay lamps called diyas) near their homes, which symbolize the light that protects against spiritual darkness. In anticipation of Diwali, houses are traditionally cleaned and then decorated with rangoli (colorful items made from rice, sand and/or flowers) and other traditions.

There are plenty of places to celebrate Diwali in North Jersey with the community, but there are also restaurants, bakeries and other food producers offering typical Diwali dishes.

What foods are eaten on Diwali?

Dishes eaten on Diwali are usually (though not exclusively) vegetarian and include pakoras (fried potato pancakes), samosas (pastries stuffed with spicy vegetables), malpuas (pancakes) and curries. But the main food category associated with Diwali is sweets.

We’re talking about gulab jamun (soft, spicy balls made from rose water and milk), kaju katli (cashew fudge), gukhra (sort of empanadas with a nut filling), jalebi (crispy but juicy fruit rings), kheer (rice pudding with nuts). and spices), mysore pak (thick, buttery biscuits filled with ghee) and more.

So, it’s a good time to explore the world of Indian sweets if you’re unfamiliar, and there are plenty of places in North Jersey with menus and packages especially for Diwali to celebrate the holiday.

Where to Find Diwali Food in North Jersey

If you’re looking to celebrate Diwali in your area, Meximodo in Metuchen will host a Diwali celebration on November 1st with a menu featuring a fusion of Mexican and Indian cuisine created especially for the holiday. Or celebrate the Weehawken Festival of Lights with the Diwali Festival on November 16th.

House of Biryanis in Manalapan is offering Diwali specials and treats, and A2B in Parsippany is offering a special, savory Diwali lunch menu on November 2nd. And during Diwali week, Mithaas in Jersey City, Edison and North Brunswick offers a line of Diwali sweets.

There are also several Indian sweet companies in North Jersey that offer bags of treats specially designed for Diwali.

Until November 1st, order a variety of boxes of sweets, as well as boxes of nuts and dried fruits from Bikanervala, an Indian sweets company that recently opened stores in North Jersey. You can get packets that include pista laoj (dense pistachio bar), kaju bahar (cashew and dry fruit roll), khajur chikki (date and nut bar) and many other sweets typical of Diwali.

At Sukhadia in South Plainfield, you can choose from a variety of delicious burfi, gulab jamun, nut halwa and sweet pendas like the kesar variety, with cardamom and saffron. Chowratty in Iselin has sweets and snacks and a special Diwali box that includes melt-in-your-mouth laddoo, flavourful kaju katli, rich halwa, soft pistachio buns and tasty penda.

Suma Foods in North Brunswick and Rajbhog Foods in Jersey City are also offering Diwali treats, plates and boxes.

Matt Cortina – food reporter NorthJersey.com/Record. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Diwali 2024: Food in North Jersey for the Festival of Lights.