Lonavala Groundnut Chikki

Lonavala Groundnut Chikki is whole groundnuts set into golden jaggery and snapped into one honest sheet, sticky at the edges and stubbornly wholesome. It’s the chikki most people picture when they hear the word Lonavala: bought by the box at the ghat-side shops and passed around the car before the drive home has even begun. It’s crunchy, filling and comforting in a way that tastes like a weekend in the hills. Have a piece with evening chai, tuck it into a lunch box, or keep a slab in the drawer for the 4pm slump. Origin Story: Groundnuts and jaggery are two of Maharashtra’s most dependable pantry staples, and in Lonavala they come together as the town’s signature sweet. For travellers on the Mumbai to Pune route, stopping for chikki has been part of the journey for as long as most of them can remember, as much a part of the trip as the fog rolling over the ghats. Patang’s Groundnut Chikki is made in Lonavala and keeps that simple pairing at its centre, so every piece tastes like that stop on the way home. Taste and Texture: A clean, crisp snap, then the nutty crunch of groundnuts against rich, earthy jaggery. It’s chewy at the edges and crunchy in the middle, the kind of sweet you keep breaking “just one more piece” off.