Each region, in fact, each State, of India has offered some exclusive food items. Let’s take a peep into some storable and shippable mouth-watering varieties from this segment.

Gone are the days when after a month of our Maharashtra Tour one used to hanker for the iced halwa of Mumbai and desperately wait for some relative or friend to visit Mumbai so that we could plead with them to bring back a couple of boxes of the yummy halwa for us. Today, with geographical boundaries melting thanks to sturdy transportation and logistics; branches of food outlets being set up across all states, and home chefs and bakers having the expertise to whip up any item in the world … one can truly indulge one’s self.

So what are some must-have delicacies for every palate? Here’s sharing a brief glimpse –

• Hand Murukku – A crispy snack from Southern India 
• Shrewsbury Biscuits – Mouth-watering biscuits from Pune
• Khakhras – Healthy yet yummy snack with a long shelf life from Gujarat
• Nippattu  - A deep-fried snack made with rice flour, fried gram, peanuts and spice powders from Karnataka
• Khichiya – Rice papads from Rajasthan
• Kuzhalappam – This rice flour cannoli is a tube-shaped snack popular among Christians in Kerala
• Kasundi – This dipping source from West Bengal with the pungent paste of fermented mustard seeds, spices and sometimes dried mangoes, dried Indian plum and olives; is popular as a condiment and dipping sauce for dishes like – paratha, naan and fried foods (samosas and pakoras) besides being used as a spread on sandwiches and grilled meats
• Shankarpali or Shakarpara – This crispy and lightly sweetened snack prepared using just six basic pantry ingredients is extremely popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka
• Gundar Laddu – Healthy and nutritious this perfect winter snack is from Garvi Gujarat
• Chanachur – A typical Bengali mixture made with lentils, peanuts and gram flour it is hot and spicy, but with a very mild sweet aftertaste that accounts for its uniqueness
• Chevdo – An item with a quintessential Gujarati taste this is a unique mixture of sweet and spicy flavours
• Hurigalu - A savoury trail mix from Karnataka which is a perfect blend of spiciness, crunch and unforgettable flavours
• Thekua - Made with whole wheat flour, jaggery or sugar and deep-fried, it is a delicious fried cookie from Bihar and is very popular during the festival of Chhath as it is filling, wholesome and yummy
• Daalmel - Made with soaked and fried dals and peanuts, it is spicy, crunchy and loaded with Rajasthani flavours
• Bhajke Chirwa - It is a crunchy savoury from Maharashtra made with flattened and puffed rice, coconut shavings, peanuts and flavoured with local spices
• Amla Murabba – This yummy delicacy from Uttar Pradesh entails boiling amla or Indian gooseberry and then simmering them in cardamom flavoured sugar syrup.
• Seeval – These moderately spiced, crunchy ribbons from Tamil Nadu are prepared with besan and rice flour

Other delicacies worth checking out are - Kachori (Rajasthan); Petha (Agra); Sundal (Kerala); Mangalore Buns (Mangalore); Ghewar (Rajasthan and Haryana); Bebinca (Goa); Sutarfeni (Surat); and many more!

Besides the above, how about lip-smacking gunda ka achaar, puchka aloo masala, coconut barfis and chaklis, among a host of other snacks prepared by the home chef fraternity…?