No rose, no berries in ‘Gulab Jamun’, then how did it get its name, what is the journey of this sweet

Food History: Whenever there is mention of sweets in most of the Indian homes, there is talk of Gulab Jamun. At least one member in every household will definitely be fond of Gulab Jamun. It is often eaten as a dessert after a meal in Indian homes, sometimes just as a dessert. You too must have definitely eaten Gulab Jamun. But, have you ever thought that there is neither rose nor jamun in this sweet, then why and how it was named Gulab Jamun.

Gulab Jamun is related to Persia. According to Persian terminology, Gulab is made up of Gul and Aab. In this, the first word means flower and the second word means water. If its meaning is taken out, then it means sweet water with rose fragrance. It is generally called Chashni in India. On the other hand, balls of large size were made from khoya prepared from milk. It was fried in ghee till it turns dark brown. Because of its color and shape, it was called Jamun. This is how this sweet got its name Gulab Jamun.

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In which country Gulab Jamun was made for the first time?
According to a theory, Gulab Jamun was first made in Iran in the Middle Ages. Later the people of Türkiye brought it to India. This is how this delicious sweet started in India. On the other hand, according to the second theory, the cook of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan once made this sweet by mistake. Shah Jahan liked this sweet very much, which other people also liked. Gradually it reached every state of India. Gradually it made its important place among other sweets.

A special dessert made on the demand of Lady Canning
There is also a story about Gulab Jamun that at the end of 1850, Bhim Chandra Nag, a confectioner from Kolkata, made Gulab Jamun. The story says that Lady Canning, wife of Governor General Lord Charles Canning, loved sweets. He asked Bhim Chandra Nag to make a special sweet. When everyone came to know about this very quickly, Bhim Chandra tried to make something special and very different. In this effort, Nag made Gulab Jamun. Please tell that Governor General Lord Charles Canning later also became the first Viceroy of India.

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‘Ledikeni’ named after Lady Canning
When Bhim Chandra Nag served sweets to Lady Canning after the meal, she liked them very much. She was very happy after eating that sweet. Till that time no name was given to this sweet. It was made in the shape of a cylinder instead of being round. This sweet gradually became very popular among the people. People started calling this sweet ‘Ledikeni’ after the name of Lady Canning. Viceroy’s wife gave this sweet an important place in all special occasions and celebrations.

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Gulab Jamun is like Bamih and Tulumba
The Persian sweet Bamih and the Turkish sweet Tulumba Gulab Jamun look similar. Food historians believe that the idea of ​​making Gulab Jamun to Mughal chefs must have come from Bamih or Tulumba only. After this Shah Jahan’s cook must have made Gulab Jamun. Food historian Michael Krondl writes in his book, The Doughnut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin, that Persian invaders brought round fritters with them. This later became Gulab Jamun. He wrote that till the Middle East this sweet dish is soaked in rose water. Whereas, in India Gulab Jamun is dipped in sugar syrup.

Very similar to Luqmat-al-Qadi
There are many similarities between Lukmat-al-Qadi and Gulab Jamun, a sweet eaten in Arab countries. However, the way of preparing it is slightly different. Krondal writes that both Lukmat-al-Qadi and Gulab Jamun originated from the Persian dish. Both are related to sugar syrup. Please tell that this sweet prepared from Khoya is also known as Pantua, Golap Jam and Kalo Jam in West Bengal. Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh is also famous for Gulab Jamun. Wrinkled rasgullas are very big in Katangi of Jabalpur.

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Tags: Food Recipe, History, History of India, Mughals, Turkish