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6 Min
28/01/2026
Winter in India is not only about the season change but also the food, festivals and warmth it brings. There are specific foods made in different regions only during winter, which energise the body and keep it warm. These foods are associated with different rituals that add cultural depth to them. This article looks at such rituals across the country. Dive deeper to know more.
As the temperatures drop, Indian kitchens start smelling of jaggery, ghee, and roasted sesame. Winter, especially in the northern and central parts of India, where it is felt the most, has long been associated with food rituals tied to harvest, fertility, and warmth. Every community, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, has a set of ingredients and techniques that come alive in the cold months, which are often guided by Ayurveda and age-old farming cycles.
Historically, these foods were not created just for flavour. They served practical purposes: to fortify the body, enhance immunity, and honour seasonal transitions. Rituals developed around these dishes; some were celebratory, while others were spiritual. But with urban life taking over, many of these charming customs are slowly fading into memory. This article looks at such rituals that are still alive in several pockets of India, connecting generations through taste and tradition.
In Maharashtra, Makar Sankranti marks the height of the winter season. People prepare tilgul, which are sweet balls or laddoos made of sesame seeds and jaggery, and exchange them with a greeting: ‘Tilgul ghya, god god bola’, which literally means “Take this sweet, and speak sweetly.” This saying is just to enhance the bonding, while the real reason behind this food is the warmth of sesame and jaggery that helps the body fight the chill. Married women call each other to their houses for the tilgul exchange and distribute gifts amongst each other.
Lohri is perhaps the most vibrant winter harvest festival in northern India. Bonfires light up the evening as families toss sesame, jaggery, and groundnuts into the flames as offerings to thank nature for the harvest. It is a ritual of abundance and protection against the biting cold. Children go door-to-door collecting sweets and snacks, singing folk songs that are a mix of gratitude and mischief. Even today, eating rewri, gajak, and popcorn by the fire remains one of the most comforting winter experiences in Punjab and many parts of Northern India.
High in the hills of Himachal, the arrival of winter means it is the siddu season. These steamed wheat buns are stuffed with walnut paste or mashed peas and served dripping with ghee. Siddu is often made near fireplaces or in community gatherings, which symbolise warmth, sharing, and sustenance. The slow steaming makes it a perfect cold-weather comfort, which is nutty, soft, and rich.
If you are in Kashmir on a freezing morning, the sight of harissa bubbling in a huge copper pot is pure poetry. This slow-cooked dish made from minced mutton, rice, and spices takes hours to prepare. Traditionally, it is cooked overnight so it is ready to serve at dawn, often shared in neighbourhood bakeries. The preparation is a community ritual, where men gather, stirring the pot through the night, sharing stories as the aroma fills the winter air.
In Bihar, winters are incomplete without tilkut, a crunchy disc of sesame and jaggery, and a cousin of the Maharashtrian tilgul. While it looks like simple confectionery, its making is almost ceremonial. Artisans roast sesame on iron plates and mix it with molten jaggery, shaping it before it hardens in the cold air. The sound of pounding til seeds echoes through village lanes. People believe eating tilkut strengthens bones and boosts immunity.
In Assam and Odisha, pithas, which are rice cakes stuffed with coconut and jaggery, are integral to Bhogali Bihu and Makar Sankranti. These are made collectively, often overnight, as families gather to roast, steam or fry them. The ritual is not just about eating, but also about togetherness and transition. As the season begins to warm, pithas symbolise the closing of winter and the promise of new beginnings. Some villages even prepare special pithas as offerings to ancestors during the last cold nights of the year.
These traditions turn necessity into celebration, transforming ingredients like sesame, jaggery, and millet into cultural poetry. In a time when ready meals and instant mixes dominate our shelves, revisiting these slow, mindful winter rituals can reconnect us with how our ancestors truly lived with balance, patience, and gratitude. So this winter, instead of just layering sweaters, try layering flavours from India’s winter rituals, and sharing them with your neighbourhood!
