Sharkara Varatti: A Sweet Delicacy from Kerala | Exploring the Recipe, Ingredients, and Traditions
Share
There is a specific moment at every Onam sadhya that every Keralite knows. The banana leaf has just been laid. The first things to arrive are the crispy banana chips (upperi) and a small mound of sweet, crunchy, jaggery-coated banana pieces. Before the rice. Before the curries. Before the payasam. That’s sharkara varatti. And if you’ve ever sat at that banana leaf, you know exactly why people guard their portion from the person sitting next to them.
Also called sarkara varatti, sharkara upperi, sharkaravaratty or chakkara varatty - the spelling changes by household, the taste never does. In this blog we trace the origins of this beloved Kerala snack, explain how it’s made, explore the health angle, and answer the question every NRI and Kerala food lover eventually asks: where can I actually get good sharkara varatti without flying to Thiruvananthapuram?
What is Sharkara Varatti?
Sharkara Varatti is a traditional Kerala sweet snack made from raw nendran banana (plantain) slices, deep-fried in coconut oil until crisp, then coated in a thick jaggery syrup spiced with dry ginger, cardamom and cumin. The result is a sweet, slightly sticky, mildly spiced snack that is simultaneously a candy, a festival food, a tea companion, and a cultural memory.
The name is rooted in Malayalam: ‘sharkkara’ (ശർക്കര) means sugar or sweetness, and ‘varatti’ (വരട്ടി) refers to the process of cooking down a liquid until it thickens and coats. So sharkara varatti literally means ‘sweetness cooked down’ - which is exactly what happens to the jaggery syrup as it envelops each banana piece.
It is closely related to jaggery coated banana chips and is the sweeter, thicker cousin of the classic salted banana chips (kaya varuthathu). At an Onam sadhya, both are served side by side at the top of the banana leaf.
The origin story: how jaggery met banana in Kerala
There are no formal historical records of how sharkara varatti was first created, but the story is logical: Kerala has abundant nendran banana plantations, and jaggery (made from sugarcane and palm sap) has been a staple sweetener in South Indian cooking for centuries. At some point, the makers of traditional banana chips decided to coat the fried pieces in sweetened jaggery syrup, and a beloved snack was born.
The name ‘sharkara’ itself connects to a long history: the word passed through Persian (‘shakar’) into Malayalam, tracing the ancient spice and sugar trade routes that ran through Kerala’s ports. Jaggery was not just a sweetener, it was a valuable commodity, a festival offering, and a symbol of abundance. Coating banana chips in jaggery was not frivolous. It was ceremonial.
Sharkara Varatti at Onam Sadhya - the snack that disappears before the rice arrives
If you want to understand the cultural weight of sharkara varatti, understand its position in the Onam Sadhya. The sadhya is Kerala’s grand feast - served on a banana leaf with up to 26 dishes, eaten in a specific order. The very first savoury items placed on the leaf, before any rice or curry, are upperi (banana chips) and sharkara varatti, alongside papadam and a small banana.
This placement is not accidental. Savoury chips and sweet jaggery banana pieces prime the palate before the complex flavours of the main meal arrive. It is also, as every Keralite will tell you, the most contested portion of the leaf. Many people eat their entire sharkara varatti serving before the rice even arrives. Then comes the undignified task of asking for a second round.
As one Meengurry Memories customer put it: “The only thing harder than making sharkara varatti at home is making enough of it.”
|
Want to taste this memory without making it yourself? Meengurry Memories makes sharkara varatti the traditional way - nendran banana, fresh coconut oil (never reused), real jaggery, dry ginger, cardamom, cumin, roasted rice flour. Made to order and shipped across India. |
How traditional Sharkara Varatti is made
The process is more intricate than it looks. Getting the jaggery coating right requires attention to three things simultaneously: the thickness of the chips, the temperature of the frying oil, and the consistency of the jaggery syrup.
The chip: thickness matters
Unlike regular banana chips (kaya varuthathu), which are sliced ultra-thin for maximum crunch, the nendran slices for sharkara varatti are cut slightly thicker - about 1cm in semi-circles. Too thin, and the jaggery coating overwhelms the banana. Too thick, and the chips don’t fry through. The traditional cut is a half-moon shape, fried in batches in coconut oil over medium-low heat for 20–30 minutes until reddish-brown and fully crisp.
The jaggery syrup: the one-string test
The jaggery syrup is prepared separately by melting jaggery in a small amount of water. The consistency test is critical: hold up a spoon and let the syrup fall. If it falls like water, it’s too thin - the chips will be sticky and wet. If it’s too thick, it won’t coat evenly. The correct consistency is ‘one-string’ - when you press a drop between your thumb and forefinger and pull apart, one clean thread forms. This is the moment to coat the chips.
The Marayoor sharkara advantage
The type of jaggery used directly affects the final flavour. Marayoor sharkara - a GI-tagged jaggery from the Marayoor region of Idukki district in Kerala - is considered the finest jaggery in India for traditional sweets. It has a deeper caramel flavour, lower moisture content, and dissolves more evenly into a coating syrup than generic jaggery. When sharkara varatti is made with Marayoor sharkara, the result is a distinctly richer, more complex sweetness.
The spice blend: dry ginger, cardamom, cumin
What separates authentic sharkara varatti from a simple jaggery-coated snack is the spice blend added while coating. Dry ginger (chukku) adds heat and aids digestion. Cardamom adds floral sweetness. Cumin (jeera) adds an earthy, slightly bitter note that balances the jaggery. A dusting of rice flour is sometimes added last to give the chips a dry, non-sticky finish.
Sharkara Varatti health benefits - what the nutrition says
Sharkara varatti is not a ‘health food’ - it’s a traditional sweet snack that should be enjoyed as such. But compared to commercial sweets loaded with refined sugar, artificial flavours and preservatives, it is a significantly cleaner treat:
• Jaggery vs refined sugar: Jaggery retains trace minerals (iron, magnesium, potassium) that refined sugar loses in processing. It also has a slightly lower glycaemic impact when consumed in small quantities.
• Potassium and vitamin B6: From the nendran banana - supports heart health, muscle function and nerve transmission.
• Dry ginger: Known digestive aid in Ayurvedic tradition. Its inclusion in the spice blend is not just flavour - it’s functional.
• Vegan and gluten-free: Traditional recipe uses no ghee (some modern variants do) and no flour. Pure plant ingredients.
• No preservatives when homemade: Tocco’s version contains no artificial preservatives, shelf-life extenders or artificial flavours.
As with all fried sweets: consume in moderation. The calories are real. But the ingredients, when sourced and prepared correctly, are about as natural as a sweet snack gets.
|
The healthier sweet snack you’ve been looking for Real jaggery. Nendran banana. Fresh coconut oil (never reused). Dry ginger, cardamom, cumin. No preservatives. No refined sugar. Meengurry Memories makes sharkara varatti the way it should be made. |
Sharkara Varatti vs banana chips - what’s the difference?
This is one of the most common questions people ask, especially those who encountered both at a sadhya and couldn't work out the distinction. Here is the clear answer:
• Banana chips (kaya varuthathu / upperi): Savoury, salted, ultra-thin, golden, crunchy. Made from raw nendran banana fried in coconut oil.
• Sharkara varatti (sarkara varatti / sharkara upperi): Sweet, jaggery-coated, slightly thicker, mildly spiced. Made from the same nendran banana but cut thicker and coated in jaggery syrup with dry ginger, cardamom and cumin.
They are made from the same raw material, the nendran banana, and always served together at the Onam sadhya. The combination of salty banana chips and sweet sharkara varatti is intentional: it creates a flavour contrast that is central to the sadhya’s culinary structure.
When and how to enjoy Sharkara Varatti
Sharkara varatti is more versatile than its festival reputation suggests:
• With tea or coffee: The classic pairing. The bitterness of filter coffee or masala chai contrasts beautifully with the sweet jaggery coating.
• As a dessert: After a meal, a few pieces of sharkara varatti serve as a light, natural sweet - especially when paired with curd or yogurt.
• As a gift: Tins of sharkara varatti and banana chips are a traditional Onam and Diwali gift, especially from the Kerala diaspora to family members who cannot source them locally.
• As a snack with nuts: Mixing sharkara varatti with roasted cashews or almonds creates a sweet-savoury snack mix that’s deeply addictive.
|
Ready to order authentic Sharkara Varatti? Meengurry Memories ships freshly made sharkara varatti across India. Made by Reshma - an engineer on a mission to bring authentic sadhya snacks to every Indian home. 40-day shelf life. Ships in 4 business days. Bundle with banana chips for the complete Onam experience. |
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the difference between sharkara varatti and sharkara upperi?
They are the same product. ‘Upperi’ is the general Malayalam term for banana snacks made in oil. ‘Sharkara upperi’ means the jaggery-sweetened version. Both names refer to the same jaggery-coated banana chips.
2) Is sharkara varatti the same as jaggery banana chips?
Yes, ‘jaggery banana chips’ and ‘jaggery spiced banana chips’ are the English descriptions of sharkara varatti.
3) Can I make sharkara varatti without a nendran banana?
You can use other plantain varieties, but the nendran banana’s low moisture and starchy texture give the most authentic result. Generic plantains produce a softer chip that does not hold the jaggery coating as cleanly.
4) Does sharkara varatti contain ghee?
Traditional recipes vary - some add a teaspoon of ghee to the jaggery syrup for richness. Tocco’s Meengurry Memories version uses no ghee, keeping it fully vegan.
Also from Tocco
• Classic banana chips (kaya varuthathu) - the savoury partner to sharkara varatti
• Ripe banana chips (pazham chips) - naturally sweet, made from ripe banana
• Sharkara Varatti FAQ — all your questions answered - recipe, health, storage, variations & more