GI tag sought for Mudalur Muscoth Halwa

An application has been submitted seeking Geographical Indication tag for the famous Mudalur Muscoth Halwa.

A coconut milk delight, this sweet’s current recipe dates back to 1966, when Joseph Abraham (1927-2002) started his experiments with coconut milk, cashew nuts, refined wheat, samba wheat, raisins and cardamom, said Simon Isaac, the grandson of Abraham.

Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, Mr. Simon said his grandfather did extensive research, along with his eldest daughter Devakani, who was then in her teens and now aged 72.

As Abraham lived in Sri Lanka and later moved to India, it was assumed that the recipe was brought down by him from the island nation. “I had made several visits to Sri Lanka to find a sweet with this taste, but it was nowhere to be found. But when I started asking my grandfather’s friends and brothers about this, they all said making Muscoth Halwa using coconut milk was a feat by none other than Joseph Abraham,” he added.

Though the recipe was normally available online today, certain micro codes of the cooking process were not. The details were passed on to the recipe founder’s son, named Jeyaseelan, and a grandson, named Johnson Isaac. It all started with a small shop in Mudalur, a village in the combined Tirunelveli district. Today, the village came under Thoothukudi district, he said.

Mr. Simon said, “Many people want our Muscoth Halwa in its soft form. So, we make it the way they wish. But there are a few people from my grandfather’s days who still want it in its harder chewy form. We make it for them on special requests. To make a harder, chewy-type Muscoth Halwa, it requires a different stroke. The taste, colour and flavor would differ a little bit,” he added.