Native Treats Sweets & Snacks
Why is Kovilpatti famous for Kadalai Mittai?
Kovilpatti kadalai mittai is mass-produced in Kovilpatti and nearby villages in Thoothukudi district. Many small players in Kovilpatti make this candy in a form of cottage industry. Counting number of companies making at large scale with machineries. After getting Geographical Indications (GI), for the Kovilpatti kadalai mittai, the potential to export is enabled. Also, it has naturally had long shelf life without any special type of packaging. Kovilpatti kadalai mittai is a candy made of peanuts held together with Jaggery syrup, and pinch of salt and dry ginger. Some using liquid glucose to get glittery appearance. It is packed as single small rectangular blocks, or rather cubes or bigger blocks.
Secret Ingredients:
The unique quality and taste secret behind this candy is small size peanut cultivated in and around Kovilpatti. The kadalai (Peanuts) is grown in the Karisal Mann (black soil) is giving enhancement of taste to this candy. After getting, the peanuts are shelled and roasted. This is how this Kovilpatti kadalai mittai has a unique traditional flavour. Next main ingredient for this candy is Jaggery. Even though across India, the jaggery is mass-produced, the uniqueness is in Manda Vellam (Round Jaggery) manufactured in Srivilliputhur. Srivilliputhur is small town in Virudhunagar district, which is 60 Km away from Kovilpatti. Around Srivilliputhur, many farmers cultivated traditional black sugar cane. It is mainly used to extract Sugar cane juice and sell as fresh locally. But most of this black sugar cane juice is used to make Round Jaggery and sell across India. Naturally this Jaggery have dark yellow colour. This yellow round jaggery is manufactured in Srivilliputhur. All Kovilpatti base kadalai mittai manufacturers procuring jaggery from Srivilliputhur.
Culinary Skill
We watch many many candy making videos in YouTube, especially western sugar candies. All of them using candy thermometer to find the correct sugar consistency like single thread, soft ball, hard ball etc,. In Kovilpatti none of them using such a thermometer to measure the consistency. Over a decade of hand-to-hand experience, just by seeing the molten jaggery, they can tell the consistency level. Most of the Sweets in India, always have a unique traditional taste. But uniqueness it is not always by ingredients available in that particular place. More than the ingredients, the skill is an imperative role to make the sweets / candy.
Packaging
Any food product, packaging play a major role to help to get a lossless taste until reach the customer. Especially, Kovilpatti kadalai mittai is very sensitive when it placed open condition in air. After making of slices, as soon it must be sealed in food grade plastic pouches. Delay in packaging will impact the crispiness and make it sticky when you touch the candy. Some of them to hide this fact , they use refined wheat flour to coat on the candy to prevent this sticky effect. So, packaging play a major role in peanut candy. In “Native Treats” we have a suitable packaging technology to keep the product fresh up to 6 months.
You can buy Kovilpatti Peanut Candy (Kadalai Mittai) online at www.thenativetreats.com
