Kushtia tiler khaja

The story

Nobody has a written record of when tiler khaja was first made in Kushtia. Locals usually say it goes back to around 1900, and some put it closer to 150 years. One common account credits the Teli community, families who traditionally pressed oil from seeds such as sesame, and places the first workshops in the Deshwali Para area of Kushtia town near the old Mohini Mills. Other reports describe factories gathered around Cheuriya, close to the shrine of Lalon Fakir, and some Baul singers claim a Lalon song mentions the sweet, a story kept alive by oral tradition rather than by any document.

The method has hardly changed. Sugar and milk are boiled to the right point, cooled into a stiff mass, then hung on a wooden or bamboo peg and pulled and folded by hand again and again until the brown syrup turns white and fills with tiny air pockets. The rope is cut into bars and pressed into hulled sesame seeds. Work is done at night, and the khaja goes out to wholesalers by morning. Once a winter sweet, it is now made all year round and sold by hawkers on trains, at bus stands and at fairs across the country.

Kushtia tiler khaja was registered as a geographical indication in 2024. Makers say the trade is still small and family-run, squeezed by the rising price of sesame.

How to spot the real Kushtia tiler khaja

Real tiler khaja is a flattish bar or stick with a ridged, layered look, off-white inside and evenly coated with pale sesame seeds. Snap a piece: it should break with a light, airy crunch and then melt quickly, not stick to your teeth like toffee. It should taste of toasted sesame and milky sugar, never of stale oil. A dense, glassy or very sticky bar, sparse or darkened seeds, or a rancid smell point to old stock or a poor imitation. Khaja is also made in Rajbari, Khulna and Dhaka, often by workers from Kushtia, and packets everywhere say "Kushtia", so ask where it was made.

Buying tips

Unlike curd or chhena sweets, khaja is dry and travels well by courier to any part of the country. Its enemy is humidity: in the monsoon an open or badly sealed packet goes soft and sticky within days. Ask the seller for the production date, whether the bars are sealed in plastic or packed in a tin or airtight box, and how long the parcel will be in transit. Price mostly follows the cost of sesame and the quality of sugar and milk.

On Midmart, each shop decides and charges its own delivery fee, so khaja from one shop and other items from another shop mean two separate deliveries. Midmart does not take your money or ship anything; the seller agrees payment and shipping with you directly. Midmart cannot tell you a listing is the GI product, so judge the seller on clear answers about origin and date.

Keeping it fresh

Keep khaja in an airtight jar or tin, away from damp and heat, and eat it within a few weeks. Once a packet is open, close it tightly after each use. There is no need to refrigerate it; the fridge can make it soften.

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Shops from where it is made

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