Have your Rakhi and eat it, too: Edible rakhis are a special this Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is that one day of the year when you can bully your brothers into giving you gifts, token money and fulfilling all your whims. But with the current Covid-19 crisis, meeting siblings and extended family for the festival might not be a possibility for many. Owing to the new normal, many mithai shops, home bakers and patisseries are offering pan-India delivery services of their signature edible rakhis. Yes, you read that right — edible rakhis that are every bit delicious.

Delhi-based home baker Ravijot Kaur who runs her services by the name of The Drippin Chocolates has been making chocolates and truffles since 2015 and decided to give Rakhi a chocolatey twist. “Most people remove rakhis the same day, so instead of a thread that is kept aside, I thought of making something that can be eaten,” she says. She takes orders for custom-made rakhis and all her rakhis are priced between ₹150- ₹250 per piece. “Rose and paan flavoured chocolate rakhis are most in demand. They last for up to seven months and can be stored at room temperature,” she adds. Given the pandemic, she usually drops off the orders herself, or requests the clients to collect it from a metro station which is convenient to both parties.

Read: This year, Ludhiana residents prefer ‘desi’ rakhis over Chinese ones

The current crisis comes with its limitations and most home bakers have had to stick to basics. “Procuring raw materials has been a bit difficult due to lockdowns, so I am only offering eggless vanilla cookie rakhis this year,” says Delhi-based Priyanka Sambi of Pink Cloud Cakes & Co. She has tied up with delivery partners, and also offers doorstep pick-up from her house in case anyone wants to personally collect their parcel from her. One eggless vanilla cookie rakhi is priced at ₹180 and comes with customization options.

While chocolates and cookies are in demand, traditional mithai-based rakhis have their own fan base. Neelam Saini, of Mumbai-based Ornamental Mithai, says, “Raksha Bandhan is all about sending emotions. We have taken flavours like pistachio with coconut and mango, which is a summer flavour. We also have rakhis in gulkand and paan flavours.” They are delivering internationally as well. “All our packages are vacuum sealed and sanitized. Our chefs have gone for tests and we only take pre-orders,” she says. The rakhis have a shelf life of seven days. The price of the rakhis starts at ₹325 a box, and hampers go up to ₹2,800 as per the budget.

Read: Raksha Bandhan 2020: Your rakhi has a message – Quarantine Bro!

Rusheel Dadu, of Dadu’s Sweet in Pune, says, “On festivals like Raksha Bandhan, when sweets are exchanged, we thought of combining the two ideas. Our rakhis are traditional in design and made with dry fruits,” he says, adding that these edible rakhis have a shelf life of seven days. Their rakhis are priced between ₹50- ₹250.

Adding a healthy twist to edible rakhis is Prayagraj-based home chef Ruhi Agrawal of Date with Food, who makes rakhis with dates, sunflower seeds and melon seeds. “There is no added sugar in my rakhis. One of my bestsellers is the walnut and apricot rakhi, while kids love the chocolate chip flavour,” she says. Safety measures in place, Ruhi has tied up with third party partners for deliveries across India. “I ensure a two-fold packing for my products and attach a small bottle of sanitizer and masks in the package. There is no labour involved and I make all the orders myself,” she says. The rakhis are priced at ₹70 and last for 45-60 days.

Mumbai-based chef Nupur Verma of The Wooden Spoon, has observed that people are demanding more of packaged products in order to ensure safety. “With the current situation, there has been an increase in demand of jars and other packaged products. I haven’t opened my workshop and have been making orders at home. All my staff is in-house and nobody is allowed from outside,” she says. Her bestsellers are chocolate and cookie rakhis with royal icing and are priced between ₹75- ₹125.

There are some who launched edible rakhis last year, but would not be able to continue it this year, owing to the restrictions. Nayantara Thomas, of Parisserie in Mumbai, says that the edible rakhi they made last year received great response, but it is not something she would be doing this year. “Each petal was handmade and we made separate fillings with caramel and hazelnut. We didn’t want to make an edible product which might come in contact at various stages,” she says.

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