Thandai: An ancient cannabis drink for celebrating Holi

[Joolz]

(Image credit: Yuliya Furman/Getty Images)

Through many centuries in India, the Festival of Colours has been celebrated with thandai, a cooling milk drink packed with dry nuts, fragrant spices and oftentimes, cannabis.

 

Colours, water guns and much merriment accompany Holi (25 March), the Hindu Festival of Colours that celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of spring, symbolic of new life.

 

The two-day festival falls in the Hindu calendar month of Phalgun, with celebrations coinciding with the full Moon. On the night before the full Moon, people get together for Holika Dahan, the lighting of a cleansing bonfire that signifies burning away all the evil. The next day, the day of the full Moon, the young and the old come out to the streets, traditionally dressed in white, for a day of throwing coloured powders, energetic dancing and ribald revelry.

 

Across India, no Holi celebration is complete without thandai, a cooling milk-based drink packed with dry nuts and flavoured with fragrant spices.

 

"The silken, spiced beverage, flavoursome and festive, heightens the sense of merriment and signifies the carefree spirit of Holi," said Vicky Ratnani, chef, TV host and author of the book Urban Desi, for which he travelled across India to taste, experiment with and record regional Indian food.

 

Holi is linked to many Hindu gods. It signifies the triumph of good over evil by commemorating the victory of Vishnu, the creator of the universe, over demon king, Hiranyakashipu. It also celebrates the eternal love of Radha and Krishna, the mischievous deity worshipped as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu.

 

It also brings with it an array of festive food, including dahi vada, spongy lentil dumplings dunked in creamy, spiced yoghurt; chaat, a family of savoury snacks; and gujiya, a flaky pastry shell with a sweet stuffing. But the one Holi preparation that people wait for all year is thandai. The word thandai is derived from the Hindi word thanda, which means cool. The traditional Indian drink, said to have medicinal properties, has been consumed in India for centuries.

"Holi is celebrated at a time when many parts of India transition from winter to summer. Thandai, as the name suggests, aims to offer respite from the heat, with ingredients that prepare the body for the changing environment," said writer and culinary expert Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal.

 

Made with a mix of nuts and spices – such as almonds, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cardamom and saffron – the rich drink is sweetened with sugar and often laced with rose water.

"The ingredients that go into the beverage have health benefits. The nuts and dried fruits have good fats, the milk has protein, seeds are energisers, spices work as immunity boosters and saffron elevates the mood," said Ratnani.

Vicky Ratnani is a chef and the author of Urban Desi (Credit: Vicky Ratnani)

 

The milk-based drink is often also infused with cannabis to create an intoxicating drink that adds to the spirit of merriment and gaiety. Locally known as bhang, the avocado-green paste is typically made with the young leaves of the female cannabis sativa plant, which have a higher concentration of cannabinoids and greater potency.

 

The consumption of bhang during Holi is linked to Shiva, one of the main deities worshipped across India. Known as "the destroyer" within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva is said to have used bhang to deepen his focus and harness his powers.

 

Legend goes that during the "churning of the ocean of milk", Hindu gods joined hands with their arch enemies, the demons, to churn the primeval ocean and obtain an elixir of immortality. Cannabis grew wherever droplets of amrit (nectar; the elixir) fell on Earth. Apart from the elixir, the churning also brought up a lethal poison, halahala; Shiva is said to have consumed the poison to protect the world and was then served the milk-based drink by his consort to ease the pain caused by consuming it. Another bit of lore suggests that bhang is consumed on Holi to celebrate Shiva's return to a grihastya (family life) from his life as a vairagya (ascetic).

 

"Laced with bhang, thandai sets the mood and stage for Holi revelry. Most people enjoy the altered state of mind," Ratnani said.

 

The cultivation and use of cannabis in India goes back at least 2,000 years. The Atharva Veda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism, names cannabis as one of the five most sacred plants on Earth, calling it a "source of happiness" and a "liberator".

 

Nonetheless, while cannabis is an illicit substance in India, bhang bucks legalities on account of a technicality. According to the 1985 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, distributing the resin is illegal, but using the plant's seeds, stems and leaves is not.

 

This often makes bhang-laced thandai the drink of choice during Holi. It also ties into the idea that on this one day, societal norms such as caste, gender, age and status are set aside in favour of making merry together. Holi is also seen as a chance to end conflicts, make amends and to forgive and forget.

 

The evolution of thandai has led to the creation of new recipes, with it being used in kheer (a milky rice pudding), cheesecakes and chocolates, and for new variations that include fresh flavours like rose, mango and apple.

"I have used thandai in panna cotta, ice cream and kulfi [traditional Indian ice cream]. It also works well in mithai [Indian sweets] like barfi, a milk-based fudge, or as a milkshake base. In fact, it can also be used in cocktails with a dash of rum or white spirit like vodka," Ratnani said.

 

The options may be many, but nothing beats the classic thandai – icy cold and liberally sprinkled with nuts and spices. It's the flavour of Holi.

Bhang-laced thandai is often the drink of choice during Holi (Credit: Rangeecha/Getty Images)

Thandai recipe
By Vicky Ratnani

Serves 4

This recipe does not include cannabis, but if it is legally available and you opt to include it, blend 12-25g of leaves with the other ingredients in Step 3.

Ingredients

10-12 almonds
10-12 cashew nuts
10-15 black peppercorns
10-12 raisins
10-12 green cardamom pods
1 tsp white poppy seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp melon seeds
1 pinch saffron (optional but highly recommended)
4 cups whole milk (full-fat, skim, low-fat or plant-based)
¼ cup granulated white sugar (or to taste)
½ tsp rose water
rose petals and slivered dried nuts, for serving

Method

Step 1
Soak the almonds, cashew nuts, black peppercorns, raisins, green cardamom, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, melon seeds and saffron in ½ cup of water in a bowl.

Step 2
Cover and keep the bowl on the kitchen counter for 5-6 hours or overnight. If the weather is hot, soak at room temperature for 3-4 hours and then refrigerate for another 2-3 hours.

Step 3
Transfer the ingredients to a blender along with the water and blend to make a fine paste. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk if required while blending. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending. Set the paste aside.

Step 4
Heat the milk in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent the milk from scorching. When the milk comes to a boil, stir in the paste, sugar and rose water. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently and cook for another minute.

Step 5
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool down. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 hours for the flavours to mingle.

Step 6
Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, muslin cloth or a nut milk bag, and discard the leftover pulp. Pour the thandai into serving glasses. Garnish with rose petals and slivered dried nuts. Serve chilled.

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240325-thandai-an-ancient-cannabis-drink-for-celebrating-holi