Sweets Of India

By Drishti Choudhury

Sweets are some of the most important things in life to

an Indian – apart from engineering/medical school,

politics, Bollywood films, and cricket matches, that

is.

They can be eaten on any occasion. Not that an

occasion is needed to devour sweets on a regular

basis.

Anything and everything can be celebrated with a box

full of sweets – weddings, births, festivals. Any

occasion, important or not, can be celebrated with a

platter full of sweets.

Original Sweetshops- Bhim Nag

- Famous for sandesh- Home to highly important clientele (ie. Dr. B.C. Roy, J.C. Bose, etc.)- Invented ledikeni in honor of Lady Canning (wife of Governer-

General of Calcutta in 19th century)

- K.C. Das- Nobin Chandra Das (father to K.C. Das) introduced rasgulla to

Calcutta- Also improved already existing sandesh (from coarse to smooth

paste)- K.C. Das & Sharadacharan (son of K.C. Das) opened shop together- Sharadacharan invented rasmalai (rasgulla in milky syrup)

- Dwarika Ghosh- Claimed to have largest shop in all of Bengal

- Ganguram- Famous for mishti doi; quality unmatched

KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL

HalwaHalwaVarious types

Distinguished by region andingredients from which it is prepared

Most common are sooji halwa (semolina), aate ka halwa (wheat), moong dal ka halwa (moong bean), gajar halwa (carrot), chana dal halwa (chickpea), Satyanarayan halwa (variation of sooji halwa, with traces of banana), kaju halwa (cashew), and many othersTirunelveli City in Tamil Nadu referred to as “Halwa City” for it’s famous halwaPrepared in countries all over eastern Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa and South America, as wellPronounced very similarly around the world (ie. halawa, helava, aluva, chalwa, halewah, helwa, etc.)

Comes from the Arabic “halwa”, meaning “sweet”

Mishti DoiMishti Doi - Sweet yogurt dish - Common in West Bengal and Bangladesh, as well as Orissa

- Made with milk and sugar, along with yogurt and curd

- Sweetened with either gur (brown sugar) or khajuri gur (date molasses), and fermented over-night

- Occasionally seasoned with cardamoms for fragrance

ModakModakA sweet dumplingPopular in Western and South IndiaSweet filling consists of fresh coconutand jaggery (sugar)Shell formed from rice flourHas importance in the worship of elephant god, Ganesh

Known as his favorite food

Known as “modak” in Marathi, “modhaka” in Kannada, “modagam” or “kozhakkattai” in Tamil, and “kudumu” in Telegu.

KheerKheer- Sweet rice-based dish- Traditional South Indian dish- Made by boiling rice (or

broken wheat) with milk and sugar

- Flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, pistachios, or almonds

- Certain ingredients substituted in different regions, resulting in different tastes and consistencies

- Known as “kheer” in Northern India, Pakistan, and Nepal; called “payasa” or “payasam” in South India, referred to as “payesh” in the Bengal region.

- Also considered auspicious- Associated with annaprashana (rice ceremony) and

birthday celebrations in Bengali households

LaddooLaddooSweet dish served on festive occasionsMade from gram flour (besan), semolina, wheat flakes, and/or other types of flourShaped into small ballsOften prepared on festivals or significant house-hold events, such as weddings and birthsGiven as prasad at Hindu templesVary in size

Sakarai Sakarai PongalPongal

- Sweet rice- based dish- Native to South India- Contains ingredients such as rice, jaggery (sugar), and coconut pieces.- Jaggery sometimes subsituted with candy sugar

- Jaggery-based pongal creates dark-brown coloring, while sugar-based pongal turns a shade of white

- Generally prepared in temples as prasad (offerings to god)- Also prepared during festival of Pongal in Southern India

(Makar Sankranti), a festival celebrating the harvest- Other types of pongal include ven pongal, a popular

breakfast dish in South India, and melagu pongal, a spicier version, cooked with pepper and rice.

Rasgulla Rasgulla (Rosogolla)(Rosogolla)

Cheese-based, syrupy dishOriginated in temple-town of Puri in Orissa

Art of rasgulla-making eventually caught up in Kolkata

Made from balls of chenna (Indiancottage cheese) & semolina dough (coarsegrain used in pasta, breakfast cereal, etc.), then cooked in sugary syrup.In city of Puri, Orissa, rasgulla used as offerings to goddess LakshmiSeveral varieties

Rajbhog, KamalabhogPredecessor to sweets such as chenna jhilli, rasmalai, chenna gaja, raskadam, chamcham, pantua, malai chop, kheersagar, and sandesh

Mysore PakMysore Pak-Sweet dish, normally served as a dessert- Originated in Karnataka-Made from large amounts of ghee, sugar, and chick peas.

-Was originally known as Masoor Pak, and was made

from Masoor dal flour (besan).- People say the dish was first created in the Mysore

Palace by a palace cook named Kakasura Madappa

PedaPedaThick, semi-soft sweetsOriginated in Uttar PradeshMain ingredients are khoa (milkfood), and sugarFlavored with cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts, and saffronColor varies from a creamy white to caramel brownSometimes used as a prasad in religious Hindu services and festivities

JalebiJalebi- Sweet, deep-fried dish

- Was most likely introduced during Muslim rule of India - Made from deep-fried batter (consisting of maida flour) in a pretzel-shape, and soaked in syrup

- Can be served warm or cold, and has a slightly chewy texture

- Similar sweet, reddish-orange in color and slightly sweeter in taste, known as imarti made in Northern India

- Served as “Celebration Sweet of India”, especially during national holidays (Independence Day, Republic Day, etc.)

- One of the most popular sweets in Pakistan

- Boiled in milk and left to stand before consumption as a remedy for headaches

- In Northern India, sweet dipped in milk and eaten

MalpuaMalpuaSweet, pancake-like dessert

Very popular in Bangladesh, West

Bengal, and Maharashtra

Prepared in most areas by crushing ripened

bananas or coconuts, and adding flour, water, and milk

Occasionally seasoned with cardamoms

Deep fried in oil, and served while hot

Bihar version of dish has sugar added prior to frying, while common method in Orissa dips fritters in syrup afted frying

Other types of malpua substitute ripe bananas with pineapples or mangos

In Bengal, dish is made with only thickened milk and flour

Popular sweet to make on Holi

Gulab JamunGulab Jamun - Dough-based dish - Popular dessert in India, Nepal,

Pakistan, and Bangladesh - Made from dough consisting of

milk solids and flour- Flavored with cardamom seeds and rosewater or

saffron- Originated from Arabic dessert, Luqmat Al-Qadi

(Arabic for “the judge’s bite)- Common dish at weddings and other festive

occasions- Also known as “waffle balls”- Several other varieties

- Ledikeni, pantua, langcha, kalojam, and others

SandeshSandesh Sweet, milk-based snack Originated and remains popular in

Bengali regions Created with milk and sugar Rasmalai is modified version of dish

Sandesh is dry; rasmalai is served in a milky syrup People of Dhaka call dish “pranahara”

(“heart-stealer”) Softer kind of sandesh, made with mawa and curd

Special type of sandesh prepared during winter months Made with nalen gur/notun gur (molasses/jaggery)

QUESTION I:Which sweet is traditionally prepared during the South Indian holiday, Pongal?(answer: sakarai pongal)

QUESTION II:Which dish usually contains crushed ripe bananas?(answer: malpua)

QUESTION III:Which dessert is thought to be the favorite of the elephant-god, Ganesh?(answer: modak)

QUESTION IV:Mishti doi is a ________dish. (fill in the blank)(answer: yogurt)

QUESTION V:Which sweet is given as an offering to the goddess, Lakshmi?(answer: rasgulla)

QUESTION VI:

Which dish is represented in the picture? (→)(answer: gulab jamun)

QUESTION VII:What do you call a Bengalee who doesn’t enjoy sweets?(answer: an oxymoron)

(only 7 easy questions; don’t worry!)

HAPPY BELATEDHAPPY BELATED

GANESH CHATHURTHI!GANESH CHATHURTHI!

HAPPY BELATEDHAPPY BELATED

EID!EID!

All Information Gained From The Following Sites:www.wikipedia.org, http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/hindu-festivals and http://indianfood.indianetzone.com/1/history_indian_sweets.htm