Tray of Laddus |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | India |
| Dish details | |
| Course served | Dessert, Snack, Festive food |
| Main ingredient(s) | Flour, Milk, sugar, etc |
| Variations | gram flour, rava |
Laddu or Laddoo (Telugu:లడ్డు, Malayalam: ലഡ്ഡു "laddu" Marathi: लाडू laadu, kannada:ಲಾಡು laaDu, Hindi: लड्डू; Urdu: لڈو, Tamil:லட்டு) is a ball-shaped sweet popular in South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh as well as countries with immigrants from South Asia. Laddu is made of flour and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. It is often served at festive or religious occasions.
Contents |
Laddu comes from the Sanskrit word transliterated as ladduka or lattika meaning a small ball. One of the earliest mentions of laddu is in a twelfth-century Gujarati manuscript.
Common flours used for laddu include besan (chickpea flour), rava (wheat semolina) and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape. Some laddu recipes are prepared using Ayurvedic medicinal ingredients, including methi laddu and resin laddu.
Laddu is often prepared for festivals or family events such as weddings and births, or given as a prasad at Hindu temples. In Maharashtrian cuisine, there are traditional recipes for laddu intended as travel provisions (Marathi: तहान लाडू, भूक लाडू).
In the Sesame Street episode "Rakhi Road", laddus are featured prominently as a favoured Indian dessert. Elmo is shown making laddus and enjoying eating them as part of the celebrations around the Indian festival of Rakhi. [1]