Rasgulla
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Rasgulla (Bangla: রসগোল্লা Rôshogolla [ˈrɔʃoˌgolːa]; Hindi: Rasgulla; Oriya: Rasagolla) is a dessert from Orissa and Bengal consisting of balls of chenna soaked in a sugary syrup.
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[edit] History
Rasagolla was created in the temple town of Puri in the eastern state of Orissa, where it has been eaten since medieval times. The best rasagollas in Orissa are made by Bikali Kar from the town of Salepur, near Cuttack. Another variety made at Pahala near Bhubaneswar is also much sought after. According to centuries old tradition, the Hindu diety of Jagganath in Puri is offered rasagollas at the end of his symbolic journey, during the Rath Yatra (chariot festival) each year.
The fine art of making rasagollas was eventually transferred from Orissa to neighbouring Kolkata, West Bengal. The Bengali version, rôshogolla was first made by Haradhan Maira, a confectioner of Phulia district, during the time of Bengal renaissance.[citation needed] Nobin Chandra Das of Bagbazar, Kolkata, was the first person to make 'sponge' rôshogolla in 1868,[citation needed] and is immortalised in the local limerick "Bagbazar's Nobin Das / Rossogolla's Columbus". K.C.Das of Kolkata and son of legendary Nobin Chandra Das, was the first to invent the canned version of this highly perishable sweet, which led to much wider availability. K.C. Das popularized another perennial favourite, Rasmalai.
[edit] Preparation
Sweetened chenna is lightened with a small amount of semolina and then formed into small balls, which are then boiled in a light sugar syrup until the syrup permeates the ball.
[edit] Variations
Rôshomalai replaces the syrup with sweetened milk.
Kômola bhog mixes orange extract with the cottage cheese.
Embedding a single cardamom seed into the cottage cheese ball gives a fragrant variant.
