Every Bihari household makes thekua differently, and much of it disappears just a week after Chhath Puja.
Thekua is a deep-fried sweet snack offered as a sacred prasad during Chhath Puja, a festival dedicated to Surya, the sun god, and goddess Chhathi Maiya.
Recipes passed down through generations vary from one kitchen to another, changing even further as one goes beyond the region.
Ingredients get substituted for cost, proportions are altered for shelf life, and a snack once made fresh at home becomes something manufactured to last.
What is sold as ‘traditional’ in many Indian cities is, in some cases, a version shaped more by commercial requirements rather than the original recipe.
