Alternative names | Rasagola, rosgola, roshogolla, rossogolla, rasbhari or rasbari (Nepali) |
---|---|
Type | Soft sweet soaked in syrup |
Course | Dessert |
Place of origin | India |
Region or state | Odisha, West Bengal |
Associated cuisine | India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal |
Serving temperature | Hot, cold, or room temperature |
Main ingredients | Chhena, sugar |
Variations | Bengali rosogolla, Odia rasagola |
Similar dishes | Ras malai, khiramohana, Khondoler misti |
Rasgulla (literally "syrup filled ball") [a] is a syrupy dessert popular in the eastern part of South Asia. It is made from ball-shaped dumplings of chhena dough, cooked in light sugar syrup. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings.
While it is near-universally agreed upon that the dessert originated in the eastern Indian subcontinent, the exact locus of origin is disputed between locations such as West Bengal, [1] [2] and Odisha, [3] where it is offered at the Puri Jagannath Temple. [4]
In 2017, when West Bengal got its rosogolla's geographical indication (GI) status, the Registry Office of India clarified that West Bengal was given GI status for Banglar rosogolla and Odisha can claim it too if they cite the place of origin of their variant along with colour, texture, taste, juice content and method of manufacturing. [5] [6] In 2019, the government of Odisha was granted the GI status for "Odisha rasagola" (Odia rasagola). [7] [8] [9]
The dessert is pronounced [rɔʃoɡolːa] in Bengali, and pronounced [ɾɔsɔɡola] in Odia and pronounced [rɐsɐɡoːlɐkɐm] in Sanskrit. Rasgulla is derived from the words ras ("juice") and gulla ("ball"). [10] Other names for the dish include rasagulla, [11] rossogolla, [12] roshogolla, [13] rasagola, [14] rasagolla, [15] and rasbhari or rasbari (Nepali). [16]
According to historians of Odisha, the rasgulla originated in Puri, as khira mohana , which later evolved into the Pahala rasgulla. [17] It has been traditionally offered as bhog to goddess Lakshmi at Jagannath Temple, Puri. [18] According to the local legend, Lakshmi gets upset because her husband Lord Jagannath goes on a 9-day sojourn (the ratha yatra) without her consent. So, she locks Jai Vijay Dwar, one of the temple gates and prevents his convoy from re-entering the Garbhagṛha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. To appease her, Jagannath offers her rasgullas. This ritual, known as Bachanika, is part of the "Niladri Bije" (or "Arrival of the God") observance, which marks the return of the deities to the temple after the Ratha Yatra. [19] [20]
The Jagannath Temple scholars such as Laxmidhar Pujapanda and researchers like Jagabandhu Padhi state that the tradition has existed since the 12th century, when the present-day temple structure was first built. [21] [22] Pujapanda states that the Niladri Bije tradition is mentioned in Niladri Mahodaya, which is dated to the 18th century by Sarat Chandra Mahapatra. [21] [23] According to Mahapatra, several temple scriptures, which are over 300 years old, provide the evidence of rasgulla offering ritual in Puri. [24]
According to folklore, Pahala (a village on the outskirts of Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar) had a large number of cows. The village would produce excess milk, and the villagers would throw it away when it became spoilt. When a priest from the Jagannath Temple saw this, he taught them the art of curdling, including the recipe for rasagulla. Pahala thus went on to become the biggest market for chhena-based sweets in the area. [25]
According to Asit Mohanty, an Odia research scholar on Jagannath cult and traditions, the sweet is mentioned as "Rasagola" in the 15th-century text Jagamohana Ramayana of Balaram Das. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]
The text mentions rasagola along with other sweets found in Odisha. There is also mention of many other cheese sweets like chhenapuri, chhenaladu and rasabali. [31] [32] Another ancient text Premapanchamruta of Bhupati also mentions cheese (chhena). [33] It is being argued that cheese making process was well known before coming of Portuguese in Odisha.
According to the Bengali culinary historian Pritha Sen, in the mid-18th century, many Odia cooks were employed in Bengali homes who arguably have introduced Rasgulla along with many other Odia dishes, but there is no substantial claim to prove that. [17] According to another theory, it is possible that the Bengali visitors to Puri might have carried the recipe for rasgulla back to Bengal in the nineteenth century. But no substantial claim regarding that was ever found by any historian or anyone else. [34]
This claim is contested by Bengali historians. According to food historians K. T. Achaya and Chitra Banerji, there are no references to cheese (including chhena) in India before the 17th century. The milk-based sweets were mainly made up of khoa, before the Portuguese influence led to the introduction of cheese-based sweets. Therefore, the possibility of a cheese-based dish being offered at Jagannath Temple in the 12th century is highly unlikely. [35] According to Nobin Chandra Das' descendant Animikh Roy and historian Haripada Bhowmik, rasgulla is not even mentioned as one of the chhappan bhog ("56 offerings") in the early records of the Temple; the name of the sweet was coined in Bengal. They also state that it would have been a blasphemy to offer something made from spoiled milk (chhena) to a deity. [21] [36] However, Michael Krondl argues that Hindu dietary rules vary from region to region, and it is possible that this restriction did not exist in present-day Odisha. But at the same time, he could not give any substantial information to uphold the claim that he was forwarding. [37]
According to sweetmeat researcher Haripada Bhowmick, dela rasagulla was popular in Nabadwip and Phulia of Nadia. Sri Chaitanya loved this type of rasagulla a lot and the art of its making was spread to other regions during the Bhakti movement. [38] The spongy, white rôśôgolla is believed to have been introduced in present-day West Bengal in 1868 by a Kolkata-based confectioner named Nobin Chandra Das. [39] [40] Das started making rôśôgolla by processing the mixture of chhena and semolina in boiling sugar syrup in contrast to the mixture sans semolina in the original rôśôgolla in his sweet shop located at Sutanuti (present-day Bagbazar).
Yet another theory is that rôśôgolla was first prepared by someone else in Bengal, and Das only popularised it. In Banglar Khabar (1987), food historian Pranab Ray states that a man named Braja Moira had introduced rôśôgolla in his shop near Calcutta High Court in 1866, two years before Das started selling the dish. [41] In1906, Panchana Bandopadhyay wrote that rôśôgolla was invented in the 19th century by Haradhan Moira, a Phulia-based sweetmaker who worked for the Pal Chowdhurys of Ranaghat. [42] According to Mistikatha, a newspaper published by West Bengal Sweetmeat Traders Association, many other people prepared similar sweets under different names such as gopalgolla (prepared by Gopal Moira of Burdwan district), jatingolla, bhabanigolla and rasugolla. [41] Food historian Michael Krondl states that irrespective of its origin, the rôśôgolla likely predates Nobin Chandra Das. A sales brochure of the company run by Das' descendants also hints at this: "it is hard to tell whether or not cruder versions of similar sweets existed anywhere at that time. Even if they did, they did not match the quality of Nobin Chandra, and having failed to excite the Bengali palate, they slipped into oblivion." [37]
Bhagwandas Bagla, a Marwari businessman and a customer of Nobin Chandra Das, popularised the Bengali rôśôgolla beyond the shop's locality by ordering huge amounts. [43]
In 1930, the introduction of vacuum packing by Nobin Chandra's son Krishna Chandra Das led to the availability of canned Rasgullas, which made the dessert popular outside Kolkata, and subsequently, outside India. [44] Krishna Chandra's son Sarada Charan Das established the K.C. Das Pvt Ltd company in 1946. [45] Sarada Charan's younger, estranged son Debendra Nath established K.C. Das Grandsons in 1956.
Today, canned rasgullas are available throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as in South Asian grocery stores outside the Indian subcontinent. In Nepal, Rasgulla became popular under the name Rasbari. [16]
The Indian space agency, ISRO, is developing dehydrated rasgullas and other dishes for Indian astronauts in its planned crewed missions. [46]
In 2015, the Odisha government initiated a move to get Geographical indication (GI) status for the rasagulla made in Pahala. [21] On 30 July, the people of Odisha celebrated "Rasagola Dibasa" ("Rasgulla Day") to reaffirm Odisha as the place of the dish's origin. [47] In August, West Bengal decided to legally contest Odisha's move to obtain GI Status. [36] In 2015 The Odisha state government constituted three committees to claim over the rasgulla. The committees submitted their interim report to the government. Noted journalist and food researcher Bhakta Tripathy and a member of the committee had submitted dossier containing historical evidence of rasgulla origin in Odisha. [48] The Science and Technology department of the West Bengal government also started the process to get its own GI status for the dessert. [49]
On 30 July 2015, on the day of "Niladri Bije", a social media campaign was started by using the hashtag #RasagolaDibasa and it later became a mainstream celebration as the first day to celebrate Rasgulla's origin to be Odisha. [14] [47] [50] Odia newspaper Sambad and FM radio Radio Choklate in collaboration with the confectioners of Pahala celebrated a rasgulla exhibition-cum-awareness event in Bhubaneswar. Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik made a sand sculpture in Puri Beach depicting "Niladri Bije" and Jagannath offering rasgulla to Lakshmi. [51]
It has been agreed upon to celebrate the Rasagola Dibasa every year on the tithi of Niladri Bije in the lunar calendar. In the year 2016, the Rasagola Dibasa has been celebrated on 17 July. [52]
To pay tribute to the inventor of rosogolla, ‘Nobin Chandra Das’, and to promote Bengali claim of authenticity over rosogolla, from 2017 the government of West Bengal has decided to celebrate "Rosogolla Utsob" every year on 28 December. [53] And in the 2017 rosogolla festival, Bengali confectioners prepared the world's largest rasgulla, which weighed nine kilograms. [54] [55] To celebrate the 150th anniversary of rosogolla's invention, the government of West Bengal had also organised a three-day grand ‘Rosogolla festival’ from 28 December 2018 to 30 December 2018.
To prepare rasgulla, the cheese (chhena) mixture is formed into small balls. These balls are then simmered in a sugar syrup. [56] It can also be prepared using a pressure cooker [57] or an oven. [58] While serving, a drop of rose water (only organic and edible type of rose water, not rose perfume or synthetic flavours) can be added.
Along with chhena gaja and chhena poda, rasgulla is one of three traditional Odia chhena desserts. Due to rasgulla becoming associated with Bengali cuisine, the Odisha Milk Federation has tried to popularise chhena poda as the signature Odia dessert. [60] [61]
Typically, a 100-gram serving of rasgulla contains 186 calories, out of which about 153 calories come from carbohydrates. It also contains about 1.85 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein. [62]
In 2015, West Bengal applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) status for "Banglar Rasogolla" (Bengali Rasgulla). The Government clarified that there was no conflict with Odisha, and its application was only for a specific variant which was different in "both in colour, texture, taste, juice content and method of manufacturing" from the variant produced in Odisha. And the same goes for the Odisha Rasgulla, which can be claimed as a variant of the Bengali Rasagulla. [63] On 14 November 2017, the GI Registry of India granted West Bengal the GI status for Banglar Rasogolla. [5] [64] [65]
The GI Registrar office at Chennai later specifically clarified that West Bengal was given GI status only for the Bengali version of Rasgulla ("Banglar Rasogolla"), not for the sweet's origin. The office also stated that Odisha had not by then applied for any GI tag, but it could also get Odisha Rasgulla's GI tag by presenting the necessary evidence. [5]
In 2018 Odisha applied for GI status in Chennai GI Registry. [66] On 29 July 2019, the GI Registry of India granted Odisha the GI status for "Odisha Rasagola", which is the Odia version of Rasgulla. [7] [8]
Bengali cuisine is the culinary style of Bengal, that comprises Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, and Assam's Karimganj district. The cuisine has been shaped by the region's diverse history and climate. It is known for its varied use of flavours including mustard oil, as well as the spread of its confectioneries and desserts. There is a strong emphasis on rice as a staple, with fish traditionally the most common protein. Freshwater fish are preferred to seafish, although barramundi, known as bhetki, is also common. Meat is also a common protein among Bengalis with chicken, mutton meat being the most popular. Beef is popular within the muslim community. In more recent times, lentils have begun to form a significant part of the diet. Many Bengali food traditions draw from social activities, such as adda, Poila Boishakh and Durga Puja.
Mithai (sweets) are the confectionery and desserts of the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of dedicated shops in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing but sweets.
Odia cuisine is the cuisine of the Indian state of Odisha. Compared to other regional Indian cuisines, Odia cuisine uses less oil and is less spicy, while nonetheless remaining flavourful. Rice is the staple food of this region. Mustard oil is used in some dishes as the cooking medium, but ghee is preferred in temples. Odia foods traditionally served either on brass, bronze metal plates, banana leaf or disposable plates made of sal leaves.
Das is a common last name in South Asia, among adherents of Hinduism and Sikhism, as well as those who converted to Islam or Christianity. It is a derived from the Sanskrit word Dasa meaning servant, devotee, or votary. "Das" may be inferred to be one who has surrendered to God. The surname is often used by those in the Vaishnav community.
The Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Jagannath, a form of Vishnu in Hinduism and two of his siblings, Balaram and Subhadra, alongside Sudarshan. It is located in Puri in the state of Odisha, situated on the eastern coast of India. As per temple records, King Indradyumna of Avanti built the main temple of Jagannath at Puri. The present temple was rebuilt from the eleventh century onwards, on the site of the pre-existing temples in the compound, but not the main Jagannath temple, and begun by Anantavarman Chodaganga, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. Many of the temple rituals are based on Oddiyana Tantras which are the refined versions of Mahayana Tantras as well as Shabari Tantras which are evolved from Tantric Buddhism and tribal beliefs respectively. The local legends link the idols with aboriginal tribes and the daitapatis (servitors) claim to be descendants of the aboriginals. The temple is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethram of the Vaishnavite tradition.
The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations existing in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Ras malai, also known as rasamalei, or roshmalai, is a dessert that originated in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent. The dessert is called roshmalai in Bengali, ras malai in Hindi, and rasa malei in Odia. It is popular in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Chhena poda is a cheese dessert from the Indian state of Odisha. Chhena poda literally means Baked Cheese in Odia. It is made of well-kneaded homemade fresh cheese chhena, sugar, semolina, and is baked for several hours until it browns. Chhena poda is known as one of the Indian dessert whose flavor is predominantly derived from the caramelisation of sugar.
Salepur is a town and a Notified Area Council in the Cuttack district of Odisha, India.
Chhena gaja is a sweet dish from Balasore,Odisha,India. Unlike some other popular chhena-based Odia desserts, such as rasagola, which have spread throughout India, the chhena gaja remains largely popular within the state itself.
Odisha is one of the 28 states of India, located on the eastern coast. It is surrounded by the states of West Bengal to the northeast, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and northwest, and Andhra Pradesh to the south and southwest. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 33.2 million according to the 2001 Census. The modern state of Odisha was established on 1 April 1936, as a province in British India, and consisted predominantly of Odia-speaking regions. April 1 is celebrated as Odisha Day.
Chhena or chhana is a kind of acid-set cheese originating in the Indian subcontinent that is made from water buffalo or cow milk by adding food acids such as lemon juice and calcium lactate instead of rennet and straining out the whey.
Bikalananda Kar was an Indian confectioner from Salepur, Odisha and founder of "Kar & Brother" which is known for popularising the rasagola, an Indian desert. Kar laid the foundation of his shop in last of 1922. The rasagolas prepared by the descendants are considered the best rasagolas in Odisha. These rasagolas are famously named "Bikali Kar Rasagola" is sold all over Odisha and abroad.
Nobin Chandra Das (1845–1925) was a Bengali confectioner. a popular limerick of 19th-century Bengal labeled him as the "Columbus of Rossogolla".
Krishna Chandra Das (1869–1934), commonly known as K.C. Das, was a Bengali confectioner, entrepreneur, businessman and Bengali cultural icon of the early 20th century. Born in 1869 in Bagbazar, Kolkata, Krishna Chandra was the only son and successor of the Bengali confectioner and sweetmeat inventor Nobin Chandra Das. He developed an electric loom, a soda fountain machine, did extensive research on homeopathy, and researched eastern and western classical music. Krishna Chandra Das became an iconic figure in the 1930s Kolkata as one of the creators of "Rosso Malai" and invention of the vacuum canned "Rosso Golla", which were popularized and promoted throughout India by his family organization K.C. Das Private Limited, founded by Krishna Chandra's son and successor Sarada Charan Das.
Sarada Charan Das was an Indian Bengali polymath, scientist, confectioner, entrepreneur and businessman. He was the youngest son and successor of Krishna Chandra Das and the grandson of the legendary Bengali confectioner Nobin Chandra Das. Born on 15 May 1906, he established the first confectionery company in India, named K.C. Das Private Limited, in 1946. Sarada Charan also created artwork and competed for India at the 1956 Summer Olympics in weightlifting. He is considered as the founding father of K.C. Das Private Limited and a major innovator and pioneer of the Bengali sweetmeat industry due to his contributions towards revamping, modernizing and scientifically standardizing the confectionery industry.
K.C. Das Grandson Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian confectionery famous for its sweet and snacks. It is especially known for the white spongy form of rossogolla in Bengal, invented by the founder's ancestor, Nobin Chandra Das.
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Rosogolla is a 2018 Indian Bengali historical drama film directed and written by Pavel. Rosogolla marks the big screen debut of Ujaan Ganguly and Abantika Biswas. It is a fictionalized biopic of Nobin Chandra Das, a sweet maker from Kolkata, the inventor of Rosogolla.
Abar Khabo is a sweet originating in West Bengal that consists of two concentric spheres containing pistachios, cashews, raisins and kheer.
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