highlights
There was a time when laddus were used as medicine but then it became a favorite sweet.
5 lakh tonnes of laddus are made daily in Tirupati Balaji.
The country’s first laddu was made from coconut in the Chola empire.
After the consecration of Ram Lala in Ayodhya, 03 tonnes of laddus are being sent from Tirupati Balaji to the temple to be offered as Prasad. A huge quantity of laddus are being prepared and sent to Ayodhya from every corner of the country, while at many places But preparations are underway to prepare these sweets in large quantities and distribute them among the people. Be it a religious event or any happy occasion – the first thing that is talked about is laddus. We Indians express our celebrations through laddus only. It is said that laddus are so deeply embedded in our culture that we cannot even imagine. When we started our civilization, perhaps laddus have been around since then.
Historians and ancient texts say that once upon a time laddus were used as medicine. Later it became our favorite sweet. If India has to choose a national sweet, then the strongest contender would be Laddus. If all our pujas, rituals, auspicious works and festivals are not considered complete without some sweet, then it is Laddu.
In India, laddus are widely distributed from north to south and from east to west. There are many types of shapes and sizes of laddus across the country. The laddus from Tirupati are very big and 5 lakh laddus are made daily for Prasad. There is a huge hall for distribution of this laddu, where it is available at many counters. What’s more, the special shaped and differently made laddu is a patent. Even a postage stamp has been issued on this.
In Shirdi also there is a special arrangement for distribution of laddus as Prasad. Laddus are offered in most of the temples of India. Some laddus are normal. Are made of Bundi. Some are made by mixing Motichoor pearl-like powders. What to say about their taste and special sweetness. In South India, people made special laddus from coconut and khoya, which spread throughout the country.
different flavors
Sesame laddus, lye laddus, Ramdana, gram flour, rice flour, dry fruits laddus, fenugreek, peanuts, flour, millet laddus, from seeds to khoya laddus, jaggery laddus… I don’t know how many wonderful varieties with different tastes. A type of sweet.
Narayal Nakru
The oldest laddu of the country is known as Narayal Nakru. This is from the time of the Chola Empire of the South. This was a sweet which was packed as a symbol for travelers and warriors. Through this, good wishes are expressed for their campaigns. There was another very old laddu, made of millet, which is an offering to Lord Murugan temple.
Origin Due to medicinal properties
The interesting thing is that the origin of this laddu was more due to its medicinal properties. It is said that these laddus were given to young girls to keep their raging hormones under control. In fact, some of the popular laddus, including methi, makhana and dry ginger, were invented for medicinal purposes and not as a religious offering as a sweet.
How was this goal made?
However, just as many dishes were created suddenly in India, a similar story is told about laddus in eastern folklore. It is said that earlier the shape of laddu was not round. Once when it was being made, some ghee was left over so the helper making the laddu made it into round balls with the extra ghee. Took the place of its oval sphere. Later it became more circular. So this is a story that tells how Gol Laddu was invented. However, there is very little documentation to support this story. However, Ayurvedic scripts are full of such dishes, which were considered like laddus.
Sushruta used
It is said that in 04 BC the famous surgeon Sushruta started using it as an antiseptic to treat his surgical patients. For easy eating, the sesame seeds were coated with jaggery or honey. Shaped into a ball.
However, how laddus became associated with happiness and religiosity in our lives, it seems that this journey must have started from temples only, because an easy way of distributing them as Prasad must have been found there. The good thing about laddus was that due to the abundance of ghee and sugar or jaggery, they did not spoil quickly and could be easily transported over long distances.
The real turn in the life of laddu came after the introduction of sugar.
When foreign traders and invaders came here, they added their own ingredients to the laddu. For example, use of seeds of dates, figs, fruits and vegetables. The real turning point in the story of laddu came when the use of sugar started. Sugar, which came during the British rule, gave a new flavor to many sweets.
Sugar was added for the first time to Mokama Laddu in Bihar. When laddu was made for the first time with Ramdana seeds, khoya and sugar, its sweetness made people crazy. It tasted so good on the tongue that people were eager to eat it again and again. So the turn Laddoo took with the import of sugar was amazing.
Thuggu laddu also has a story
It is said about the famous Thuggu laddu of Kanpur that when it comes in the mouth, its sweetness and its ingredients dissolve in the mouth, this too was prepared with sugar. Matha Pandey alias Ramavatar, the creator of Thuggu ke Laddu, was one of those people who used sugar in desi laddus. However, why he named it Thuggu ke Laddu, there is a story about that too.
It is said that Ramavatar Pandey followed the ideals of Gandhiji. He remembered Gandhiji’s words that sugar is sweet poison. So when he opened the shop, he considered it dishonest in business and started calling himself ‘Thuggu’.
Also eaten in the Indus Valley Civilization around 2600 BC
However, archaeological excavations have revealed that “edible balls” made from legumes and grains such as barley, wheat, gram and mung bean were eaten in the Indus Valley Civilization from about 2600 BC.
Katie Achaya’s book “A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food” says, laddus are made from several pulses. In Mahabharata it is used as Laduka. The first mention of laddu as a sweet is in the 11th century Indian cookbook Lokopkara. This laddu tells the method of making laddus with rice vermicelli, ghee and sugar syrup. Which are made into balls and fried in ghee. The 15th century Indian cookbook Nimatnama-e-Nasiruddin-Shahi gives several recipes for laddus made from white flour, dry fruits, rose water, camphor and musk.
From gram flour to motichoor laddu
Well, gram flour laddu is the most popular variety of this dish. To make this, gram flour is roasted in hot ghee. Then sugar and cardamom powder is added to it. After this the mixture is made in the form of balls. Allowed to cool and solidify. So Motichoor laddu is made from pearl like droplets, then it is soaked in sugar syrup and shaped into round laddu by hand. So Shahi Laddu is made by mixing khoya, cardamom and dry fruits.
Well, the taste journey of laddus is connected in some way or the other in all the countries of the world. Who wouldn’t feel like eating laddu after seeing it? If your tongue is watering then there must be one laddu. Well, you can make it if you want.
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Tags: food, food 18, food diet, Food Recipe, Ram Mandir
FIRST PUBLISHED: January 22, 2024, 09:42 IST
