A story of sattu, makhana, Thekua, tradition, entrepreneurship—and why Bihar’s local food is ready for a global audience.
There are moments when a food stops being merely a food.
It becomes a symbol.
On 12–13 September 2026, India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. Among the many diplomatic discussions, meetings and cultural showcases surrounding the summit was a small but meaningful representation of India's regional food heritage: Bihar's sattu and makhana were included in welcome/media kits for delegates and journalists.
According to reporting around the summit, approximately 1,500 packets of flavoured sattu and makhana were prepared for the welcome kits. The initiative was intended to put Bihar's traditional food products before an international audience and demonstrate their nutritional, commercial and cultural potential.
For Bihar, this is about much more than a snack packet.
It is a moment that says:
What Bihar has been eating, making and passing down for generations can also become part of India's global story.
And that is where another iconic Bihari food deserves attention.
Thekua.
Because if sattu can travel from Bihar's kitchens to an international summit, and makhana can move from Bihar's ponds and farms into global conversations about modern snacking, there is every reason to imagine a future in which Thekua also travels far beyond the boundaries of Bihar.
At Kasaar, that possibility is more than an idea.
It is the reason we believe traditional Bihari food deserves to be preserved, respected and shared.
The BRICS Moment: When Bihar's Taste Reached the Global Stage
The BRICS summit is not an ordinary event.
It brings together major emerging economies and attracts international leaders, diplomats, officials and journalists.
India's 2026 BRICS chairship has therefore provided a platform not only for political and economic discussions, but also for showcasing India's regional diversity.
The media/welcome kit associated with the summit included products from different parts of India. Bihar was represented by sattu and makhana, while the wider kit also featured products such as Koraput coffee from Odisha and a block-printed stole from Gujarat.
That choice is significant.
Instead of presenting India only through large national brands, the initiative used regional products and traditional crafts to tell an “India Story.”
And Bihar's contribution was particularly interesting because both products are deeply tied to the state's everyday life.
Sattu is everyday Bihar.
It appears in drinks, parathas, litti and countless home preparations.
Makhana represents Bihar's agricultural identity.
The state is strongly associated with makhana cultivation and processing, with the product increasingly finding markets far beyond its traditional consumer base.
The same principle applies to Thekua.
A food rooted in a region can become a way of representing that region.
Why Sattu Matters to Bihar
To someone unfamiliar with Bihar, sattu might simply appear to be roasted gram flour.
To a Bihari household, it is much more.
Sattu belongs to the category of foods that are practical, affordable, versatile and deeply integrated into everyday life.
It can be mixed into a simple drink.
It can be used as the filling for sattu paratha.
It is central to litti.
It can be seasoned in numerous ways depending on household and regional preferences.
Its strength comes partly from its simplicity.
There is nothing extravagant about it.
And that is exactly what makes its appearance at an event like BRICS so interesting.
A humble local staple entered an international diplomatic setting without needing to stop being itself.
That is a powerful model for regional Indian food.
Makhana: From Bihar's Traditional Food to a Modern Global Snack
The story of makhana is different but equally compelling.
Makhana, commonly known as fox nuts, has traditionally been part of food culture in Bihar and eastern India.
Over time, it has moved into a much wider market.
Today, roasted and flavoured makhana is sold as a contemporary snack, appearing alongside products positioned for health-conscious and urban consumers.
Its BRICS appearance therefore represents two things simultaneously:
heritage and transformation.
The traditional ingredient remains recognizable.
But the way it is packaged, flavoured, marketed and sold has evolved.
This is an important lesson for Bihar's other traditional foods.
Preserving heritage does not necessarily mean freezing it in the past.
A traditional food can remain culturally authentic while finding new formats, new customers and new markets.
And Then There Is Thekua
Now think about Thekua.
A traditional Bihari food made from a relatively simple combination of ingredients.
Wheat flour.
Jaggery.
Ghee or cooking fat, depending on the recipe.
Saunf and other traditional flavourings in many household versions.
A wooden saancha.
Hand-shaped dough.
Slow frying.
And years of memory.
Kasaar's own Thekua story describes it as a traditional snack associated particularly with Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and strongly connected with Chhath Puja.
But Thekua's importance is not only religious.
It is cultural.
It is emotional.
It is social.
And increasingly, it is commercial.
Thekua Is Not Just a Sweet
This distinction matters.
Calling Thekua simply a “Bihari sweet” explains what it tastes like.
It does not explain what it means.
For many families, Thekua is associated with the arrival of Chhath.
The kitchen changes.
Jaggery is prepared.
Ingredients are brought out.
Dough is made.
Each piece is shaped.
The saancha leaves its familiar pattern.
The finished Thekua is arranged carefully.
And eventually it becomes prasad.
This is food as ritual.
This is food as family participation.
This is food as memory.
Kasaar's Chhath guide explores this connection between Thekua, the four-day festival and its role as prasad.
That is why Thekua has something that ordinary packaged snacks often do not have:
a story that begins before the first bite.
The Saancha: The Shape of Memory
Ask someone from Bihar what makes Thekua recognizable and they may describe its colour, texture or sweetness.
But look closely and another element appears:
the pattern.
Traditional Thekua is often pressed into a wooden mould known as a saancha.
The dough takes on the design carved into the wood.
The result is instantly recognizable.
This small step demonstrates something important about traditional food.
The recipe is only part of the heritage.
The method is also heritage.
The tools are heritage.
The hand movements are heritage.
The sequence is heritage.
The knowledge of knowing when the dough is ready, when the oil or ghee is at the right temperature and when the Thekua has reached the desired texture is part of the craft.
Kasaar's detailed guide to making Thekua describes this process through steps such as preparing jaggery water, adding the fat, making a tight dough, pressing it on the traditional saancha and frying it carefully.
So when we talk about “traditional Thekua,” we should not be talking only about ingredients.
We should be talking about technique.
Thekua and Chhath: Why the Connection Is So Powerful
Thekua's relationship with Chhath gives it an unusually strong cultural identity.
Chhath is deeply associated with Bihar and the worship of Surya Dev, with elaborate rituals centred around offerings, purity, fasting, water bodies and sunrise/sunset worship.
Within that tradition, Thekua occupies a special place as prasad.
This is one of the reasons Thekua has survived so strongly across generations.
It was not preserved because someone decided it should become a heritage product.
It survived because families continued making it.
That distinction is important.
Some foods survive in museums.
Others survive in kitchens.
Thekua survived in kitchens.
The Migration of Thekua
There is another story happening quietly across India.
Biharis have moved.
Students have moved.
Professionals have moved.
Families have moved.
Patna → Delhi.
Gaya → Mumbai.
Darbhanga → Bengaluru.
Muzaffarpur → Kolkata.
Bhagalpur → Hyderabad.
And with them, food memories travelled too.
But traditional foods do not always migrate as easily as people.
Finding good Thekua outside Bihar can be surprisingly difficult.
This is something Kasaar's own editorial story around homesickness explores: for people living in cities outside Bihar, certain foods are difficult to find in a form that actually feels like home.
That creates an opportunity.
Technology can solve the distance.
Shipping can solve the geography.
Good packaging can solve the logistics.
But authenticity still has to solve the taste.
From “Local Food” to “Regional Heritage”
There was a time when “local” could sound like a limitation.
Today it can be a strength.
A food with a clear regional identity has something many generic products do not:
a point of origin.
Thekua is from the Bihar–Jharkhand–eastern Uttar Pradesh cultural belt.
Sattu is strongly associated with Bihar's everyday food traditions.
Makhana is deeply connected with Bihar's agricultural economy.
Khaja is associated with Silao.
Tilkut is strongly associated with Gaya.
Different foods carry different geography.
And geography creates identity.
This is exactly why the BRICS media-kit story matters.
The objective was not merely to feed delegates.
It was to tell India's story through things that came from specific places.
Bihar's Food Heritage Is Much Bigger Than Three Names
The BRICS spotlight has naturally focused attention on sattu and makhana.
But Bihar's food heritage is much wider.
Think of:
Thekua
The wheat-and-jaggery delicacy closely connected with Chhath and Bihari household traditions.
Khaja
A flaky layered sweet famously associated with Silao and Nalanda.
Anarsa
A traditional rice-and-jaggery sweet, often associated with festive occasions.
Tilkut
A sesame-based sweet strongly associated with Gaya.
Sattu
The roasted-gram staple that appears in drinks, parathas and regional dishes.
Makhana
The famous fox nut that has successfully moved into modern snack culture.
Dal Pitha
A traditional preparation associated with Bihar's festive and family food traditions.
Chura
A humble staple that has countless forms across homes and regions.
Ghugni
A spiced chickpea preparation enjoyed as a snack or meal accompaniment.
Nimki
A crisp savoury snack that balances the sweeter side of Bihar's snack culture.
Kasaar's guide to Bihari foods explores several of these dishes and sweets and places Thekua within this much wider culinary landscape.
This matters because Bihar should not be reduced to a single “signature dish.”
It has a food ecosystem.
Why Traditional Bihari Food Is Ready for the Next Generation
The growth opportunity is not simply nostalgia.
There are several practical reasons Bihar's traditional foods can work in modern markets.
1. Strong regional identity
Consumers increasingly want to know where products come from.
“Thekua from Bihar” immediately communicates more than “sweet snack.”
It communicates place and tradition.
2. Distinctive taste
Thekua does not taste like a standard biscuit.
Its jaggery sweetness, dense texture, traditional spices and fried finish give it a recognizable character.
3. Giftability
Traditional foods work naturally as gifts because the recipient receives both a product and a story.
A box of Thekua can become:
a Bihar gift, a festival gift, a family gift or a nostalgia gift.
4. Diaspora demand
Biharis living outside Bihar represent a natural audience for products that reconnect them with home.
5. Cultural curiosity
People who have never tasted Thekua may discover it precisely because it is unfamiliar.
That is how regional foods expand.
Authenticity Is Becoming More Important
The word “authentic” is everywhere.
But authenticity is difficult to prove through a label alone.
Kasaar's own buyer's guide asks a useful question:
What actually makes Thekua authentic?
Its answer looks beyond branding and examines things such as the fat used, ingredients and preparation method.
That is an important direction for traditional food brands.
Instead of simply saying:
“100% authentic.”
A better brand explains:
What do we use?
How do we make it?
Where is it made?
Why does it taste this way?
What tradition are we preserving?
Transparency builds trust much more effectively than adjectives.
Where Kasaar Fits Into This Story
This is where Kasaar's mission becomes relevant.
Kasaar is not trying to turn Thekua into another generic packaged sweet.
The idea is different:
Take something recognizably Bihari and make it accessible beyond Bihar.
Kasaar currently offers both a Regular Traditional Thekua and a Desi Ghee Thekua, giving customers two ways to experience the product.
The Desi Ghee version is described by Kasaar as handcrafted with wheat flour, jaggery and ghee, and fried in quality desi ghee, with no artificial flavours or preservatives added.
Explore Kasaar Thekua
Regular Thekua
For a straightforward traditional Bihari snack experience.
Shop Authentic Kasaar Thekua – Regular
Desi Ghee Thekua
For those looking for the richer ghee-forward version.
Shop Authentic Kasaar Desi Ghee Thekua
What Does “Bihar to the World” Really Mean?
It does not mean replacing tradition with modern branding.
It means making tradition easier to discover.
Imagine someone in Bengaluru searching:
“What is Thekua?”
They discover the story.
Then they learn about Chhath.
Then they discover the saancha.
Then they learn about jaggery and wheat.
Then they see a photograph.
Then they decide to taste it.
That is how a regional food becomes a global food.
Not overnight.
Not through one advertisement.
Through story → curiosity → first taste → memory → recommendation.
This is how food cultures travel.
BRICS Is a Signal, Not the Finish Line
It is important not to overstate what happened.
The BRICS kits featured Bihar's sattu and makhana—not Thekua.
But that distinction actually makes the story stronger.
Because Thekua does not need to borrow a claim that isn't true.
Its story already stands on its own.
The real message is broader:
If Bihar's local foods can be deliberately selected to represent India's regional identity before an international audience, Bihar's wider food heritage has enormous potential to travel.
Sattu has opened one door.
Makhana has opened another.
Thekua can walk through its own.
The Bigger Opportunity: Building “Brand Bihar”
The BRICS initiative has also been discussed in the context of Bihar's broader “Brand Bihar” push and the effort to create opportunities for local producers, food processing, value addition and new markets.
That is where traditional foods become economically interesting.
A successful regional food ecosystem can involve:
Farmers → processors → small businesses → packaging → logistics → e-commerce → consumers
The more value created inside that chain, the more a traditional food can contribute to local livelihoods.
This is especially important for products that begin with agricultural ingredients.
Sattu starts with gram.
Makhana starts with agricultural production.
Thekua begins with staples such as wheat and jaggery.
Traditional food therefore has a connection to both:
culture and economy.
The Future of Bihar's Food May Be “Local + Modern”
The choice does not have to be:
Traditional OR modern.
It can be:
Traditional + modern.
Traditional recipe.
Modern packaging.
Traditional flavour.
Modern logistics.
Traditional story.
Modern e-commerce.
Traditional craftsmanship.
Modern quality standards.
That combination may be the key to taking Bihar's food heritage beyond Bihar.
And that is the opportunity brands like Kasaar are trying to explore.
Why Thekua May Be the Perfect Ambassador for Bihar
There are many reasons.
It is visually distinctive.
The shape and saancha patterns make it instantly recognizable.
It has a strong cultural association.
Chhath gives it a powerful story.
It has a distinctive flavour.
Wheat, jaggery, ghee and traditional aromatics produce a taste very different from ordinary cookies.
It travels well.
Unlike many delicate syrup-heavy sweets, Thekua is naturally suited to being packed and carried.
It creates nostalgia.
For someone from Bihar, it can represent home.
It creates curiosity.
For someone who has never tasted it, it provides an introduction to Bihar.
That's a rare combination.
Familiar to one audience. Fascinating to another.
The Taste of Bihar Should Not Stay a Secret
For generations, Bihar's food has often been better known inside the homes that cooked it than outside them.
That is changing.
The BRICS 2026 moment is a small but visible example.
Sattu.
Makhana.
Mithila art.
Regional coffee.
Traditional products.
Local craftsmanship.
A larger India story is emerging where geography is not hidden—it is celebrated.
Bihar does not have to make its food less Bihari to make it globally appealing.
It needs to make the story easier to understand.
And perhaps that is the real opportunity.
From a Chhath Kitchen to a Global Table
Picture a traditional Bihar kitchen.
A woman prepares jaggery.
Flour is mixed.
Ghee is added.
The dough is kneaded.
A small wooden saancha waits nearby.
One piece is pressed.
Then another.
Then another.
The kitchen smells of jaggery and ghee.
Someone takes a freshly fried Thekua.
Someone else says:
“Abhi garam baa.”
Years later, that child might be living in Delhi.
Or Mumbai.
Or Bengaluru.
Or Dubai.
Or London.
And one day a parcel arrives.
Inside is Thekua.
The first bite does something extraordinary.
It collapses distance.
For a moment, there is no city.
No office.
No airport.
No migration.
Just Bihar.
That is why traditional food matters.
Bihar Has Already Shown the World What It Can Do
Sattu made it into a BRICS welcome/media kit.
Makhana travelled with it.
Now the question is not whether Bihar has foods worthy of the global stage.
It clearly does.
The question is:
How many more are waiting?
Thekua is one answer.
Khaja is another.
Tilkut.
Anarsa.
Pitha.
Sattu-based products.
Makhana-based innovations.
And hundreds of regional recipes that still live inside family kitchens.
The next chapter of Bihar's food story may not be about discovering something new.
It may be about finally telling the world about what was already there.
Kasaar's Role: Keeping the Story Alive, One Thekua at a Time
At Kasaar, we believe traditional food should not become a museum piece.
It should remain part of everyday life.
That means:
making it,
eating it,
sharing it,
gifting it,
talking about it,
and introducing it to people who have never tasted it before.
Our Thekua is part of that larger mission.
Not simply “a sweet from Bihar.”
But a product connected to a much bigger story:
Bihar's kitchens.
Bihar's festivals.
Bihar's families.
Bihar's memories.
Bihar's entrepreneurs.
And now—
Bihar's journey from local to global.
Taste Bihar. Share Bihar. Keep the tradition moving.
Shop Authentic Kasaar Thekua →
Explore More of Bihar Through Kasaar
The story does not end with Thekua.
Read more from the Kasaar Journal:
What Is Thekua? Everything You Need to Know About Bihar's Favourite Traditional Sweet
How Thekua Is Made: The Traditional Bihari Way, Step by Step
The History of Thekua: How a Humble Sweet Became Bihar's Timeless Treasure
Thekua & Chhath Puja: The Sacred Bond Between a Sweet and a Festival
What Actually Makes a Thekua “Authentic”? A Buyer's Guide
Why Kasaar's Thekua Tastes Like Your Nani's Kitchen
Top 10 Bihari Foods You Must Try
Homesick for Bihar? Here's a Taste of Bihar Delivered to You
Frequently Asked Questions
What Bihar foods were included in the BRICS 2026 welcome kit?
Reports on the 2026 BRICS Summit state that sattu and makhana from Bihar were included in welcome/media kits for delegates and journalists.
Was Thekua included in the BRICS welcome kit?
The reporting we verified identifies sattu and makhana as the Bihar food products included in the kit. Thekua should therefore not be described as a BRICS-kit item.
Why is the BRICS inclusion important for Bihar?
It gave Bihar's regional food products exposure in an international setting and was presented as part of a broader effort to showcase India's regional traditions, local products and entrepreneurship.
What is Thekua?
Thekua is a traditional sweet snack associated particularly with Bihar and neighbouring regions. It is generally made using wheat flour and jaggery, with traditional variations involving ghee, fennel and other flavourings. Kasaar's Thekua guide provides a detailed introduction to its ingredients, taste and cultural role.
Why is Thekua associated with Chhath Puja?
Thekua has a strong cultural association with Chhath and is traditionally prepared as prasad. Kasaar's Chhath guide explains the role of Thekua within the festival's rituals and food traditions.
Where can I buy Bihari Thekua online?
Kasaar offers its traditional Thekua online, including a regular version and a Desi Ghee version.
Final Thought
Bihar's food has never been small.
Perhaps the world is simply beginning to notice.
Sattu has reached the BRICS stage.
Makhana has become a global-facing product.
And Thekua is carrying a different kind of value—the value of memory, ritual, craftsmanship and home.
The future of Bihar's food may not require leaving tradition behind.
It may simply require giving tradition a bigger table.
From a Bihar kitchen to a global table—one bite at a time.
