Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Concepts of sweetmeats and the Indian sweets. 3. Genesis and development of Indian sweetmeats. 4. Cultural significance of Indian sweetmeats. 5. The varieties of sweetmeats in India. 6. The sweetmeats areas of Bihar and their traditions. 7. The sweetmeats areas of West Bengal and their traditions. 8. Communities associated with sweetmeats and their professional association. 9. Diffusion of sweetmeats and its factors. 10. Conclusion. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.

    "The present book is based on an empirical fieldwork carried out in different parts of India as well as the data on sweetmeats, related folklore and its diffusion, etc., have been also collected from different library sources. This is for the first time in Indian anthropology where an attempt has been made by an anthropologist to study the varieties of sweetmeats since the days of Indus Valley civilization till modern times. How the arts of the sweetmeats have diffused to various parts of India, the typology of sweetmeats, its religious and cultural values, various folklores and legends associated with different types of sweetmeats, the castes associates with the preparation of sweetmeats, the confectioner's technique, etc., have been discussed from anthropology point of view in this book. The book will be highly useful for the students and researchers in the field of anthropology, sociology, history, indology, etc. It covers both an applied and theoretical aspects." (jacket)

    [Anil Kishore Sinha, is presently Reader in the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.]