Farali Chivda Sweet

I am a sucker for slick packaging. Most of the Swad brand stuff isn’t this glossy. The word farali means fasting. Chivda (AKA chewda/chanachur) is a catchall for a crunchy mixture. During the religious festival known as Navatri, many people fast (though beverages are okay) until the daily puja is done.

There is a bit of odd text on the front which reads “sweet potato based snack with nuts, ideal when fasting.” To clarify: It’s eaten after you break fast. Also it’s not made from sweet potatoes but regular potatoes. It actually wouldn’t make a bad trail mix because it features peanuts, cashews, raisins and potato. The overall flavor is sweet and spicy. The potato pieces are matchstick thin with a mild crunch. The taste is a touch sweeter than I’d like but there is some spicy after taste which helps to balance it out. It’s a satisfying snack but might work better mixed with a more savory snack like aloo bhujia. They did warn us on the package that it is sweet. Note that this snack lists no gluten ingredients though isn’t explicitly labeled gluten free.

Farali Chivda