Mukhwas is a must-have in a large number of Indian households and practically all Gujarati households

Well, the festive season has more or less wrapped up and while some of us may be in a state of nostalgia others would be looking at the mirror and groaning at the pounds we’ve gained! While those with a cooking streak in them would be noting down recipes of some of the delicacies they had gorged on at a relative’s house!

Snacks (mathiyas, googhras, magas, mohanthaal, chorafali et al) may vary from household to household; but a common offering at all Gujarati households is Mukhvaas (mouth-freshener) albeit here too there are a plethora of variants available!

One may politely refuse a snack on the grounds that one is satiated or on a diet – but no one can refuse the rejoinder “Please at least taste our mukhwas it will make you, your tongue and your stomach feel good!” And then post tasting comes the interesting exchange of its recipe! So mukhwas doubles up as a conversation starter too!  

Foodism brings for you a closer look at this novelty available pan-India but dear to Gujarat - 

Meaning, Origin and History of Mukhwas

Basically, it’s a Sanskrit term broken up into – MUKH meaning ‘mouth’ and WAS meaning ‘smell’. So this translates into – mouth freshener. In a nutshell, mukhwas is an after-meal snack that doubles up as a digestive aid 

Apparently, mukhwas is being used in India for quite a long period. Studies claim that in ancient times while worshipping God, after offering a meal as prasad, devotees offered God paan (tambool in Sanskrit and betel leaf in English). Now betel leaves date back to the pre-Harappan Vedic period in India so the existence of mukhwas too can be considered to be more or less the same.

Paans were the fancy of Indian kings too, and owing to their relaxant and breath-freshening qualities they were also fed to the bride by her groom on their wedding night. 

With time and in accordance with the demands of various palates this paan started being mixed with the plethora of spices available in India like - fennel seeds (saunf), betel nuts (supari), areca nut, catechu (kattha), green cardamom (elaichi), cloves (laung) etc. In addition, mineral slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), saffron, pieces or powder of coconut or dry date, gulkand (a sweet preserve of rose petals) are also mixed in it.

In fact the writer of ‘Feasts And Fasts: A History Of Food In India’ Colleen Taylor Sen claims that mukhwas was born from the consumption of supari, or betel nuts, which became widely used as breath fresheners in the courts of Islamic rulers in Delhi in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. 

Primary Ingredients of Mukhwas

The modern-day mukhwas comprises multiple ingredients like - fennel, anise, coconut, coriander, sesame, ajwain (carom seed), dal, clove, ginger powder, water melon seeds, musk melon seeds, dry fruits, tutti-fruity, cardamom, fennel, hari patti, kharek (dry dates), flax seeds, salt, sugar, paan, gulkand, et al. The thumb rule being the more the merrier so long as they bring in their own flavour to the mukhwas!

It may be noted that fennel seeds contain anethole, an antibacterial compound that kills and destroys, bacteria, fungi and yeast build-up in the mouth; while gulkand is known to treat mouth ulcers, and reduce acidity and gastritis and aid digestion.