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’Tis the season for winter holidays. The cornerstone of any cultural celebration is food. Certain dishes mark the season, and many of our holidays would feel incomplete without them.

For some Indian Memphians, Diwali is observed in October or November depending on that year’s lunisolar calendar. Anup Samutrala, one of the workers at Social Desiii in Collierville, said he typically thinks of peda, a milk-based sweet usually spiced with cardamom, saffron or pistachio. It’s almost like an Indian milk-fudge — dense, fragrant and rich with warm, cozy Indian spices.

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