Sweets have been the flavour of Diwali celebrations for time immemorial
The days leading up to Diwali are marked by unmistakable signs of celebration across the UAE. Walk past any Indian sweet shop and you’ll see the counters piled high with trays of freshly made mithai. It’s a glittering spectacle from the glorious, golden laddoos to those extra-fancy, silver-coated kaju katlis.
Restaurants also get fully attuned to the spirit, rolling out special, limited-time menus, and families prepare for days of light, food and endless fun. The festival may have travelled far from its origins, from India to the alleys of the Emirates, but its essence remains the same.
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Residents talk about how the scale has changed but the emotion behind the celebrations remains the same. For many long-term Indian residents in the UAE, Diwali has evolved with the country’s own growth. What once relied on home-cooked sweets and small gatherings is now a massive celebration involving top venues, patisseries and confectioners. Families who once brought ingredients from India now find everything they need locally, from authentic ghee to gold-foiled mithai boxes.
A Chef’s Perspective
For chefs working in the hospitality industry, Diwali often unfolds inside the kitchen. While most people gather at home, restaurant teams spend days preparing menus designed to capture the warmth of the festival in their own way.
Chef Manav Tuli, chef-consultant of The Bombay Club, says the occasion brings about a bittersweet feeling for him.
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“Working in the F&B industry, my relationship with Diwali is a little unconventional. While the world celebrates with family, I’m often in the kitchen, creating a festive experience and memories for my guests. It’s a different kind of celebration but it means I’ve missed many Diwalis at home.”
His inspiration for Diwali menus comes from his own memories of the festival, particularly a traditional sweet called Anarsa, made only once a year in his family home.
What is Anarsa?
What is Anarsa?
Anarsa is a classic Bihari sweet featuring a crisp, lace-edged disc of rice flour encasing a rich, molted core of jaggery, all deep-fried to perfection.
“That act of reserving something special for one day taught me how food creates anticipation. We follow the same idea in our kitchen, dishes that appear only for Diwali, so guests feel the same excitement I did as a child.”
This means taking the foundational elements of a Diwali feast, richness, warmth and generosity and expressing them through a modern culinary lens. Ultimately, it’s about honouring the tradition of “special occasion food” to create a once-a-year experience. It’s Chef Manav’s way of sharing the Diwali light through a menu that is as memorable and unique as the festival.
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Inside the Sweet Shops
Let’s talk about the absolute superstars of Diwali: the local mithai wallas who see Diwali as their busiest and most important season. Staff at long-established brands like Puranmal and Bikanerwala describe an intense build-up that begins weeks in advance, with production often doubling to meet demand.
Traditional mithai continues to dominate orders but over time, there has also been a growing interest in sugar-free and mixed-assortment boxes for gifting. Many shop owners note how the customer base has expanded in recent years. Beyond the Indian community, people of other nationalities now buy mithai for friends and colleagues, adding to the sense of Diwali as a shared cultural moment across the country. Corporate gifting has also become a major driver, with offices placing large orders for customised boxes.
A Shared Celebration
Each year, Diwali in the UAE truly takes on its own shape. Some choose the nostalgia of home-cooked sweets; others go for vibrant restaurant dinners or grand gifting boxes but the underlying feeling is constant. There’s an undeniable warmth in the noise and shared sense of celebration that makes the city feel a little more like home.
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Across kitchens and dining rooms, the focus remains on light, generosity and flavour, a reminder that even in a city thousands of kilometres from where it began, Diwali still brings people together around the most simple joys.
Image credit: Unsplash
Mariam Khawer is a Dubai-based writer and PR professional whose work spans food, art, and travel across the region. When she isn’t chasing deadlines, she’s likely at a gallery opening, testing out a new restaurant, piecing together one of her mixed-media art projects or at home with her four cats, who keep her on her toes.
