Laddu
 Coconut and Jaggery Balls | |
| Place of origin | South Asia |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Flour, milk, sugar |
| Variations | Gram flour, rava |
| Other information | Served on festive or religious occasions |
 Cookbook: Laddu  Media: Laddu | |
Laddu or laddoo are ball-shaped sweets popular in the Indian Subcontinent. Laddus are made of flour, minced dough and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. They are often served at festive or religious occasions.[1][2]
Composition
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, multigrain and resin laddu. Nuts such as pistachios and almonds are commonly stuffed into laddus.
Boondi laddu
Boondi laddu is made from boondi. It is often served in occasions like marriages, or festivals such as Raksha bandhan and Diwali. Motichoor laddu is made from fine boondi where the balls are tiny and is cooked with ghee or oil. Originally this laddu was a south indian sweet, but it is now popular throughout India.
Besan laddu
Besan laddu (Hindi: बेसन के लड्डू) is a popular Indian sweet dish made of Besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), sugar and ghee.
Besan is roasted in ghee till golden brown appearance with nutty fragrance. Then sugar is added to it. Pistachio pieces are also mixed in this mixture optionally. Sweet balls are then made from this mixture. It has a long shelf life.
It is often served at festivals, family events and religious occasions in India.
Coconut laddoo
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.[3]
Use
Laddu is often prepared for festivals or family events such as weddings and births, or given as a prasad at Hindu temples, especially at Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, it is famous with the name Tirupati Laddu. Laddu is considered a traditional Eid dessert in some Muslim communities.
In Maharashtrian cuisine, there are traditional recipes for laddu intended as travel provisions.
Cultural references
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.[4]
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.[5]
In the movie English Vinglish, the protagonist Shashi Godbole (Sridevi) is a housewife who makes and sells laddoos as a home-run business.
See also
References
- ↑ "Sweet shops make hay in Diwali shine". The New Indian Express.
- ↑ Sangeetha Devi Dundoo. "As good as home". The Hindu.
- ↑ Madhulika Dash (16 October 2004). "Food Story: The journey of ladoo from a medicine to the much-loved Indian sweet". The New Indian Express.
- ↑ "Show Guide Landing". Sesame Street. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
- ↑ "6,300 kg Tapeswaram laddu creates record". The New Indian Expres. Express Network Private Limited. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
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