Shankarpali

Shankarpali, shakkarpara, murali, khurma, lakdi mithai, or just simply mithai is an Indian sweet snack made from a dough of sugar, ghee (or butter), maida flour, and semolina. The name is derived from Persian Shekarpareh. Shankarpali is eaten in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Its variant known as khurma or laktho is also eaten in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also eaten by the Indian diaspora in Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. It is traditionally eaten on Diwali and can be sweet, sour or spicy depending upon how it is made.

It is a popular snack amongst the Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Kannadiga community in India and has a long shelf-life. It is widely available in shops; people usually purchase ready-made shankarpali during the year and only prepare it at home during Diwali. This provides a livelihood for women who produce it throughout the year and market it.

Names

 * Gujarati: shakkarpara (શક્કરપારા)
 * Marathi: shankarpali (शंकरपाळी)
 * Kannada: shankarapali/shankarapoli (ಶಂಕರಪಾಳಿ/ಶಂಕರಪೋಳಿ)
 * Bengali: shakerpara (সাকেরপাড়া)
 * Punjabi: shakkarpara (ਸ਼ੱਕਰਪਾਰਾ/شکر پارا)
 * Hindi-Urdu: shakarpare/khurma (शुक्र पारे/شکر پارے)/(खुरमा/خرمہ)
 * Nepali: khurma (खुर्मा)
 * Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Maithili, and Magahi: khurma (खुरमा)
 * Fiji Hindi: lakdi mithai (लकड़ी मिठाई)
 * Guyanese Hindustani: mithai (मिठाई/مٹھائی)
 * Trinidadian Hindustani: khurma (खुरमा/خرمہ)