Laddu Explained

Laddu
Region:Indian subcontinent, Caribbean
Main Ingredient:Flour, sugar, ghee, dry fruits
Variations:Gram flour, rava
Type:Sweet

Laddu or laddoo is a spherical sweet from the Indian subcontinent made of various ingredients and sugar syrup or jaggery. It has been described as "perhaps the most universal and ancient of Indian sweets."[1]

Laddus are often served during celebrations and religious festivals, especially those associated with the Hindu deity Ganesha.[1] [2] [3]

History

Archaeological excavations have found "food balls" made of legumes and cereals such as barley, wheat, chickpea and mung bean were consumed in the Indus Valley Civilization circa 2600 BCE.[4] [5]

In the 3rd-4th century Sanskrit medical text Sushruta Samhita, ladduka are described as small balls of jaggery, peanuts, and sesame seeds coated with honey. These balls were used as an antiseptic and to deliver medication. However, the first documented mention of laddu as a sweet is in the 11th-century Western Indian cookbook Lokopakara. It gives a recipe for making laddus with shavige (rice vermicelli), ghee, and sugar syrup, which were formed into balls and fried in ghee. The 15th-century Indian cookbook Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi gives several recipes for laddus made with white flour, dried fruits, rosewater, camphor, and musk.[1]

Varieties

Besan laddu

Besan laddu is the most common variety. To prepare it, besan (chickpea flour) is fried in hot ghee (clarified butter). Sugar and cardamom powder are then mixed in. The mixture is formed into balls and allowed to cool and solidify.[1] [6]

Motichoor laddu

Motichoor ("crushed pearls" in Hindi)[7] laddu is made from boondi, tiny fried balls of chickpea batter soaked in sugar syrup.[1] [8]

Thaggu ke laddu

Thaggu ke ("Cheat's") laddu is made from khoa (condensed milk), semolina, and white sugar and is a specialty of Kanpur, India. It was invented by Mattha Pandey, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Pandey heard Gandhi refer to white sugar, which was popularized in India by the British, as "white poison" and disease-causing. Since his laddu was made with white sugar, he named it accordingly.[1]

Shahi laddu

Shahi (royal) laddu is made from the sweets peda and barfi, which are ground into a paste, mixed with cardamom, dried fruits, and nuts, and formed into balls. It is decorated with vark (edible foil).[1]

Coconut laddu

There are multiple coconut laddu recipes. Its earliest form Narayl Nakru dates back to the time of the Chola Empire, when it was a sweet that was packed for travelers and warriors as a symbol of good luck for their expeditions.[9]

Laddu with edible gum

In India, these are traditionally given to lactating mothers as they help in the production of milk.[10] [11] These laddus are called dinkache ladoo in Marathi and gond ka laddu in Hindi. The main ingredient is gum arabic which is collected from the babhul tree. Other ingredients include coconut, almonds, cashews, dates, spices such as nutmeg and cardamom, poppy seeds, ghee, and sugar.[12]

An alternative multigrain recipe will have a portion of gum replaced by grains and legume flours such as besan, urid, ragi (nachani in Marathi) and wheat.[13]

Temple laddus

See also: Tirupati Laddu. Some Hindu temples have their own laddu versions, which are offered to the deities and then served to devotees as prasada (sanctified food). The besan laddu served in the Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, India, has been called "the most famous temple laddu." The Maa Tarini Temple in Ghatgaon, India serves laddus made from coconut and khoa. The special laddu at the Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur, India is made from foxtail millet.[1] [14]

Others

Every region of India has its own version of laddu. In Rajasthan, laddus are made from wheat flour, in Maharashtra from sesame seeds, in Kerala from rice flour, and in Andhra Pradesh from rice flakes. Optional ingredients include grated coconut, roasted chickpeas, nuts, and raisins.[1]

World record

The largest individual laddu weighs and was achieved by PVVS Mallikharjuna Rao (India), in Tapeswaram, Andhra Pradesh, India, on 6 September 2016.[15] The laddu was made to a traditional Boondi recipe. The ingredients included ghee, refined oil, cashew nuts, sugar, almonds, cardamom, and water.

In popular culture

In the Sesame Street episode "Rakhi Road", Elmo is shown eating laddus.[16]

A laddu weighing 6,300 kg was made for a Ganesh festival in Andhra Pradesh, India in September 2012. This was claimed to be the largest known laddu.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: 2023. The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine. Bloomsbury Publishing. 269–270. 2023-03-14. 2023-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20230314103601/https://books.google.com/books?id=AzysEAAAQBAJ&pg=PAPT270. live.
  2. News: Sweet shops make hay in Diwali shine . The New Indian Express . 31 October 2013 . 17 January 2019 . 21 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160421022428/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Sweet-shops-make-hay-in-Diwali-shine/2013/10/31/article1864851.ece . dead .
  3. News: As good as home . Sangeetha Devi Dundoo . The Hindu . 31 October 2013 . 17 January 2019 . 23 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180123212432/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/as-good-as-home/article5288375.ece . live .
  4. Agnihotri . Rajesh . 1 June 2021 . Microscopic, biochemical and stable isotopic investigation of seven multi-nutritional food-balls from Indus archaeological site, Rajasthan (India) . Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports . en . 37 . 102917 . 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102917 . 233578846 . 2352-409X . 21 June 2021 . 24 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202932/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X21001292 . live .
  5. News: Tewari . Mohita . 25 March 2021 . Harappan people ate multigrain, high-protein 'laddoos': Study . 21 June 2021 . The Times of India . 19 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220219112112/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/harappan-people-ate-multigrain-high-protein-laddoos-study/articleshow/81684776.cms . live .
  6. Book: Collingham . Lizzie . Curry : a tale of cooks and conquerors . 2007 . Oxford University Press . Oxford . 978-0195320015 . 105 . 2018-12-22 . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314103616/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2rRCwAAQBAJ&pg=Pg105 . live .
  7. Web site: Motichoor Ladoo (Laddu): A Sweet Dip in the History of India's Favourite Festive Treat . 2022-08-15 . 2022-09-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220902165037/https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/motichoor-ladoo-a-sweet-dip-in-the-history-of-indias-favourite-festive-treat-1729993 . live .
  8. Book: Krondl . Michael . Sweet invention a history of dessert . 2011 . Chicago Review Press . Chicago, Ill. . 9781569769522 . 17 . 1st . 2018-12-22 . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314103602/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dt0RErSFvE8C&pg=PP17 . live .
  9. News: Food Story: The journey of ladoo from a medicine to the much-loved Indian sweet . The New Indian Express . 16 October 2004 . Madhulika Dash . 26 September 2015 . 27 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150927072954/http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/food-story-the-journey-of-ladoo-from-a-medicine-to-the-much-loved-indian-sweet/#sthash.6mHIen3o.dpuf . live .
  10. Kajale, Neha, et al. "Effect of traditional food supplements on nutritional status of lactating mothers and growth of their infants." Nutrition 30.11 (2014): 1360-1365.
  11. Singh . Mayank . Traditional Herbal Care of Human Health in Jaunpur (U.P.) . Indian J. L. Sci. . 61–65 . 2012 . 1 . 2 . 13 April 2016 . 9 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170809015218/http://www.ijls.in/upload/1611558309CHAPTER%20014.pdf . live .
  12. Web site: Dinkache ladoo, Gund ladoo, Gond Ladoo, Gond Ka Laddu.....Easy Recipes on CuisineCuisine.com . cuisinecuisine.com . 11 April 2016 . 22 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160422070454/http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/Dinkache%20Ladoo.htm . live .
  13. Naidu, Bhargavi G., Kirti J. Shirke, and Anuradha Shekhar. "Research Paper Open Access." (2012).
  14. Book: Collingham . Lizzie . Curry : a tale of cooks and conquerors . 2007 . Oxford University Press . Oxford . 978-0195320015 . 105 . 2018-12-22 . 2023-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230314103616/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2rRCwAAQBAJ&pg=Pg105 . live .
  15. Web site: Largest laddu (individual) . Guinness World Records . 2018-10-08 . 2018-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181019071341/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-laddu-(individual) . live .
  16. News: Guide to Deepavali. Time Out. October 24, 2019. ‘Sesame Street’ even paid tribute with a Rakhi Road episode which shows Elmo chomping away at laddu. .
  17. News: 6,300 kg Tapeswaram laddu creates record . The New Indian Express . 27 September 2012 . 6 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131106125747/http://newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article810888.ece . dead .

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