Sweets Of India By Drishti Choudhury Sweets

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 KOLKATA, WEST BENGAL - 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 19 th 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

Halwa Various types Distinguished by region and ingredients 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 others Tirunelveli City in Tamil Nadu referred to as “Halwa City” for it’s famous halwa Prepared in countries all over eastern Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa and South America, as well Pronounced very similarly around the world (ie. halawa, helava, aluva, chalwa, halewah, helwa, etc. ) Comes from the Arabic “halwa”, meaning “sweet”

Mishti 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 overnight - Occasionally seasoned with cardamoms for fragrance

Modak • A sweet dumpling • Popular in Western and South India • Sweet filling consists of fresh coconut and jaggery (sugar) • Shell formed from rice flour • Has 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.

Kheer - 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

Laddoo Sweet dish served on festive occasions Made from gram flour (besan), semolina, wheat flakes, and/or other types of flour Shaped into small balls Often prepared on festivals or significant household events, such as weddings and births Given as prasad at Hindu temples Vary in size

Sakarai Pongal - 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 (Rosogolla) Cheese-based, syrupy dish Originated in temple-town of Puri in Orissa Art of rasgulla-making eventually caught up in Kolkata Made from balls of chenna (Indian cottage cheese) & semolina dough (coarse grain used in pasta, breakfast cereal, etc. ), then cooked in sugary syrup. In city of Puri, Orissa, rasgulla used as offerings to goddess Lakshmi Several varieties Rajbhog, Kamalabhog Predecessor to sweets such as chenna jhilli, rasmalai, chenna gaja, raskadam, cham, pantua, malai chop, kheersagar, and sandesh

Mysore 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

Peda Thick, semi-soft sweets Originated in Uttar Pradesh Main ingredients are khoa (milk food), and sugar Flavored with cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts, and saffron Color varies from a creamy white to caramel brown Sometimes used as a prasad in religious Hindu services and festivities

Jalebi - Sweet, deep-fried dish India flour) - Was most likely introduced during Muslim rule of - Made from deep-fried batter (consisting of maida 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

Malpua Sweet, 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 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

Sandesh v v Sweet, milk-based snack Originated and remains popular in Bengali regions Created with milk and sugar Rasmalai is modified version of dish v v People of Dhaka call dish “pranahara” (“heart-stealer”) v v Sandesh is dry; rasmalai is served in a milky syrup Softer kind of sandesh, made with mawa and curd Special type of sandesh prepared during winter months v 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) QUIZ TIME! 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? (only 7 easy questions; don’t worry!) (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)

HAPPY BELATED GANESH CHATHURTHI! HAPPY BELATED EID!

THANK YOU! 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