Several avatars of jalebi are now popular across the country’s mainland – the heavyweight Jaleba from the night markets of Indore, the Chhanar Jilipi from the kitchens of Bengal’s esteemed sweetmakers, the Mawa jalebi of Madhya Pradesh or its doppelganger Khowa jalebi of Hyderabad, or even the Imarti or Jhangiri of Andhra Pradesh, named after the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Be it the Bengali Jilapi served at a country fair on Rathayatra or the Gujarati jalebi consumed with Fafda on Dusshera, jalebi has been essentially intertwined with the gastronomic demography of India. Jalebi – the Indian version of the dish became popular over centuries in Northern India, while in Southern India it is mostly pronounced as Jilebi. If so, both the word and the sweet, syrupy article of food that it connotes must have entered India quite early.” The Different Variants of Jalebi in India In his book Indian Food: A Historical Companion, food historian KT Achaya writes – “According to Hobson-Jobson, the word jilebi is ‘apparently a corruption of the Arabic zalabiya or Persian zalibiya’. Later, in 1600 CE, the Sanskrit text, Gunyagunabodhini, enlists the ingredients and recipe of a dessert which is identical to the present-day jalebi.īhojana Kutuhala – another 16th Century book of recipes and food science by Raghunath has a subtle mention of the sought-after sweet dish.
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The first Indian text with a reference to jalebi is Priyamkarnrpakatha (1450 CE) – a Jain text composed by Jinasura, where he mentions jalebi as part of the dinner menu served by an Indian merchant.
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The dish even became a mainstay as Prasadam in temples. By the late 15th century, jalebi had become a part of indigenous festivities as well as personal occasions like weddings or other celebrations. It did not take long for the delectable Zulbiya to weave itself into the Indian cuisine as the homely Jalavallika or Kundalika. Zulbiya (Source: The Koolleh Store) The Grand Arrival to the Indian SubcontinentĪccording to the Hobson-Jobson glossary of Indian words & phrases, the term ‘jalebi’ is an Indianised derivative of Zulbiya – the recipe of which was brought to the Indian subcontinent by Persian traders, artisans and middle-eastern invaders throughout the medieval period. Additionally, the Middle-Eastern recipe mandates the use of a syrup of honey and rose water, while a simple sugar syrup fills Indian jalebi.
#Indian national sweet series#
However, Zulbiya differs from the Indian jalebi in appearance, as the former has an asymmetric floral coil pattern, unlike the latter which is a series of circular coils. Zulbiya is still popular in modern-day Iran, emerging as an indispensable dessert on the Nowruz (Persian New Year) platter. The dish also finds mention in another 10th-century Arabic cookbook by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq.
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An ancient Persian cookbook ‘ Kitab al-Tabeekh’ by Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi mentions the recipe of the dish, describing it as the sweet traditionally distributed among the masses during Ramadan and other festivities. The oldest mention of Zulbiya dates back to the early 10th century. Here’s the timeline of jalebi’s origin and its gradual evolution into the modern Indian favourite. In fact, the nation’s beloved recipe is perhaps an import from its Middle-Eastern counterpart Zalabiya or the Persian Zulbiya! So, it will come as a shock to many to know that the origin of jalebi is not Indian at all. Source: Wikimediaįor ages, Indians have been going ga-ga over this unparalleled dish. Whether eaten with the humble breakfast of poori-sabzi or the evening snack of Samosa and chai, consumed alone, in milk or with curd, jalebi can be enjoyed hot, cold or even daylong stale. Your teeth bite into the coiled, sugary goodness of deep-fried batter. And finally, a bowlful of hot jalebi served with rabdi.
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A walk to the nearest halwai – sweet shop – wrapped to the teeth in woollens.