Month: November 2021

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog about sweets. With Diwali having come to and end, let us go back to the roots of this blog and talk about sweets.

Ice cream. Perhaps the most well known sweet from the west. Nothing can be compared taste of ice cream, it is just so unique. Here at Penn State we have a bit of a culture surrounding ice cream. The Creamery is perhaps one of the most iconic things about Penn State and many people visit just to try the ice cream. Ice cream is indeed a serious business, not just in Penn State but across America, and it is an eight billion dollar enterprise. Americans consume almost 23 pounds of ice cream every year, on average (source). But in India there is a healthier version of ice cream which forgoes preservatives and eggs for natural flavors, milk, and sugar.

It is known as Kulfi, and it is creamier and richer than traditional ice cream. Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert that was invented in the 16th century and originated in the Indian subcontinent, during the reign of the Mughlai empire, under Emperor Akbar. The word “kulfi” or “Qulfi” is derived from Farsi indicating that it is of Arabic origin. The word means covered up. Kulfi is a mixture of dense evaporated milk that started gaining popularity in sweet dishes in the Indian subcontinent. During the Mughal era, this thick mixture was usually flavored with saffron and pistachios. Then packed solid into metal cones and plunged in slurry ice, thereby resulting in the invention of Kulfi.

The Mughal Emperor Akbar kept a detailed count of how Kulfi was made. To him it was an important sweet to how the empire was run. His daily life could not continue it. At the time he was one of the most powerful rulers in the entire world, and he was at the mercy of the great Kulfi. There is an elaborate record of the from the Mughal emperor which mentioned the use of saltpeter as a method of refrigerating the mixture. There was also a brief mention of the fact that Himalayan ice was transported to warmer regions in order to make the sweet(source).

There are many different types of Kulfi to be found, just like ice cream. The most popular flavor are malai, pista, and mango. Malai kulfi has a thick layer of milk called Malai, added in the mixture of kulfi for good bite. Pista kulfi is garnished by pistachios around the sides of the kulfi which makes it healthier. Mango kulfi is totally made by mango with some mixture of milk. Of the three my favorite is Malai kulfi, a recipe for which can be found here.

At a quick glance Kulfi looks like an Indian version of ice cream, but looking deeper will make one realize that there is so much more to the sweet.

Let me first start of this post by saying Happy Diwali!

I happen to be typing this on the actual day of Diwali, so to you in the future who may be reading this I wish you during the actual celebration. The ICLC Diwali event is coming up so if you happen to be reading this beforehand you should go check it out. They are getting catering from India Pavilion and it will be a lot of fun. TO learn more go here.

Since it is Diwali time it only feels fitting to talk about Diwali. Diwali at home is always a different experience. From eating all the different sweets to normal festival foods, it is always fun experience. Coming to college the thing I miss most is going to those festivals. While in America I remember going to the local temple and eating dosas and pav bhaji. In India it is whole different experience, with all the street food and parades. I am from Mumbai so it gets really crazy during Diwali. Mumbai is one of largest cities in the world and a hub for culture and food. The experience is unmatched. But this is a blog about sweets, so let us talk about sweets. What better way to talk about sweets and Diwali, than talking abut a sweet made specifically during Diwali. This is a tradition specific to where I am from in India however. I am from a region in India called Gujarat.

For Diwali, in Gujarat, they make a sweet called gughara, a sweet fired dumpling.

Gughara is the gujrati word for the sweet, so for those from other regions of India it is also known as: Gujiya (Hindi: गुजिया), Pedakiya (Hindi: पेडाकिया), or karanji (Marathi: करंजी). For a more comprehensive list click here.

Ghughra is a traditional Gujarati pastry that is typically served during Diwali. It is a fried pocket of dough filled with milk powder, ghee, sugar, nuts, and cardamom. The pocket has a signature fold that is tough to learn how to make. It is known for its sweet and savory in taste, along with the nuttiness of dry fruits and coconut. The sweet itself originates from Gujrat and has manifested across India in many forms. In Utter Pradesh the filling tends to be sticky, compared to the dryer texture in Gujarat. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu it has take a more distinct coconut flavor. The sweet has many forms but a recipe for the most basic(Gujrati of course) version can be found here.

I know I barely spoke about the food this post but I just really wanted to talk about Diwali. So I wish you the reader a Happy Diwali and a happy new year(Diwali is the Indian new year).