Gulab Jamun: A sugary delight with more than one origin stories
When you’re an Indian, it’s almost impossible to imagine Diwali or a family wedding without traditional sweets, no? From rasgullas to jalebis to gajar ka halwa, Indian desserts are not only mouth-watering but also an integral part of our traditions. But if someone asks you, what is that one indigenous sugary delight that makes you drool? Were you thinking of gulab jamun too? So were we!
For so long, we have been gorging on gulab jamun without knowing that it has some fascinating backstories. Today, dive deep into its origin and more.
How is this heavenly delight made?
We hardly ever wonder what all goes into the preparation of this lip-smacking sweet. Well, as it turns out, key ingredients are chenna (fresh and unripened curd cheese) and maida or all-purpose flour. It’s needless to say that for perfection, the measurement of the ingredients needs to be precise. As for the recipe, the chenna and the maida are kneaded together, then dough balls are made from the mixture. Next, all these balls are fried (in heated oil) till they turn golden brown (like a snitch!). Once these delicious, fried balls are ready, they are dropped into a batter of crystallised sugar, giving the crust a sticky touch, while its core remains white and smooth. To enhance its flavour, makers often infuse them in either rose-scented or cardamom-flavoured chashni (or syrup). Do you need us to go on, or are you already hungry?
Gulab jamun: A story of many cultures
When we traced the origin of gulab jamun, we were surprised to find out that it has not one but three origin stories.
A sweet accident: Legend has it that during the 17th century, when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was ruling Delhi, his royal chef accidentally prepared gulab jamun. His inspiration? A Persian dessert bamieh and Turkish sweet tulumba. What’s interesting is that both are almost identical in taste and look: Fluffy lumps of fried dough soaked in sugary syrup. However, the only difference is that while both these sweets are served cold, gulab jamun is best served hot (maybe with some vanilla ice cream!).
Gulab jamun and doughnuts—distant cousins: Culinary historian Michael Krondi, in his book The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin, lays down how Persian invaders brought a donut-like rounded fried sweet that soon took the form of gulab jamun. Maybe that’s why gulab jamun derived its name from two Persian words: ‘Gulab’ meaning rose and ‘jamun’ meaning a local fruit black plum.
The Arabian connection: The story here goes back to the popular Arabic dessert ‘luqmat al qadi’, another potential inspiration behind gulab jamun. This is a similar-looking deep-fried dough ball which, instead of being soaked in sugar, is dipped in honey and sprinkled with sugar granules. Interestingly, the name literally translates to ‘the judge’s morsel. Why? It is believed to sway even the opinion of a judge. That’s how delicious it is!
Cousins from Bengal
While these origin stories have ruled over the years, gulab jamun spread to all parts of India, where people came up with their own unique variations. One such is of course ‘ledikeni’ a similar-tasting, brown, fried sweet from Bengal that only differs in shape. It is cylindrical! As for its unusual name, it has been derived from Lady Canning (locals could only pronounce it as ‘ledikeni’), the wife of the first Viceroy of British India, Lord Canning. The story goes like this: Around the 1850s, Lord Canning wanted to impress his missus ahead of her landing in India and commissioned renowned Calcutta-based halwai Bhim Chandra Nag to prepare a special dessert. Legends have it that Nag only wanted to derive inspiration from gulab jamun. So, whether ledikeni was born accidentally or by the sheer act of a genius, still remains unknown.
Interestingly, Bengal also happens to be the home of pantua that is a mini gulab jamun. In fact, North India is also said to have formed something called kala jamun that is a type of gulab jamun, only over fried. Indians like to regard all these sweets as each other's cousins. How sweet is that!