The oldest sweet shop in Delhi is the Ghantewala in Chandini Chowk, which went into business in 1790. Down the centuries, it has remained in the same family and is now in the hands of the eleventh generation. There’s an interesting story behind how it got its name, Ghanta actually means a big clanging bell in Hindi. Legend goes that whenever the royal procession moved down this road, the emperor was in the habit of stopping here for a snack – a habit that his elephant acquired too. Well, we all know how passionately fond of sweets elephants are, so of course came the day when he found the way to the shop himself. Apparently he refused to budge and kept on shaking its head until people rallied around with assorted sweets. The bells hanging from the elephant’s neck would tinkle whenever the animal went into stubborn mode and shook his head. and from there came the shop’s name – beat that! The Ghantewala Halwai is celebrated for its sohanhalwa, a sweet made from dry fruits, sprouts and sugar.
There is another Ghantewalah Shahi Halwai, now near the famous fountain in Old Delhi. It is owned by a part of the same family, which branched out somewhere down the line. This shop also does roaring business with its dry fruit, sohanhalwa, barfis and namkeens.
Chandini Chowk is justly famous for its chaat: a quintessentially Indian spicy snack with various ingredients, laced with lots of sauces. In shops like Natraj’s Dahi Bhale (almost legendary for its chaat) and Chaatwallah you can still bange on some of the best chaat in Delhi.
Cuisine