Till now, I knew that the delicious rasgulla was a creation of Bengalis and the credit went to one K C Das who invented these wonderful balls of delight. Its only ingredient was chhana or cottage cheese that had to be cooked in a syrup of sugar. But, Orissa wants to take the credit for being its creator!!
Whatever it may be, creating rasgulla may sound simple but it requires plenty of experience to have the correct density of the syrup and the proper kneading of the chhana. It is mass produced in hundreds in a huge vessel over a coal fire. Nowadays, with the introduction of new and modern gadgets, the equipment have been modified but the process remains unchanged.
The rasgulla are usually an inch in diameter but there are the larger ones that go by the name of Raj-bhog (feast for the King). Here, a stuffing is introduced in the center of the white ball – the stuffing is usually of a paste of almond, pistachio with a small size kishmish in each Raj-bhog. And, the size is bigger.
Yet another variety is the kamala-bhog – this has a tinge of orange color with the essence of orange added in the dough in addition to the orange color.
And, one cannot overlook the smaller size rasgullas that go to create another Bengali favorite – the rasomalai. The rasgullas used in this are really small ones and, the rasomalai is prepared by adding the small ones in a mixture of kheer. This kheer is nothing but milk that is boiled to reduce the volume – as it keeps boiling, it thickens and, there is a new taste that is totally unlike milk. When the tiny rasgullas keep boiling in this kheer, the tiny balls swell and melt when popped in the mouth. One can easily relish a dozen of these tiny rasgullas in the rasomalai.
The popularity of rasgulla can be gauged from the fact that during marriages, there used to be friendly competition among the guests – who can eat how many. Those traditions have vanished because people have become health conscious. Moreover, the serving is done by caterers and, they will serve only as per the preplanned menu. Extra helpings are taboo.
However, all of a sudden, news have emerged that the origin of this beloved rasgulla is not in Bengal but in neighboring Orissa.
Director of K C Das Private Ltd, Sanjoy Das, the fifth generation descendant of Navin Chandra Das family, has clarified that it was the Das family who had created rasgulla made from cottage cheese and dipped in a sugary syrup. But,
Orissa claims that the rasgulla originated from the Jagannath Temple in Puri – it had been a part of the religious rituals since the 12th century.
Obviously, experts have to dig up evidence to decide the winner in this battle – till the final decision is known, let us enjoy the rasgulla in all its glory. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)
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