#SuperBloggerChallenge2018 The History of My Favorite Gulab Jamun

Just look the picture below, 

Isn't is mouthwatering? Gulab Jamun is known as one of the most popular Indian desserts. This my favorite sweet dish among all other plentiful of sweet dishes that we Indians relish every now and then. I always feel that there is a significant connection between our festivals and sweets. In every festival, one specific sweet dish is being prepared in houses depending on the weather and time of the year. However, Gulab Jamun is a season free dish. You can enjoy it's soft and melting taste anytime anywhere.

I am not a born Gulab Jamun lover. Rather I discovered my love for Gulab Jamun quite late. During my pregnancy, I found that the fridge-chilled Gulab Jamun was the only thing that could satisfy my craving. I felt heaven after having Gulab Jamun. Day and night I used to dream about having Gulab Jamun only. My fridge had a box of Gulab Jamun all the time. I didn’t want to share my Gulab Jamuns with anyone, not even with my husband. He used to get me a box every week. And it was actually heights of my craving when one day I made him bring Gulab Jamun at 10.30 PM night. My day used to start with having a fridge chilled Gulab Jamun. After coming back from office, the first thing I used to do was to have Gulab Jamun and even my day used to end with Gulab Jamun. I was aware of Gestational diabetes so sometimes I felt anxiety about having so much of sweets. But I kept on having Gulab Jamuns until my final days of pregnancy.

And since then, there is a strong bonding between us, Gulab Jamun and I. Now my festivals and celebrations are incomplete if I don't bring a box of Gulab Jamun. My love for Gulab Jamun took its next leap and I went ahead for finding the history of Gulab Jamun. Who made the first ever Gulab Jamun? Who first tasted it? And who thought that these round flitters can make people feel out of the world with its taste?

As per a well-known folklore, Gulab Jamun was first prepared by the chief Persian priest of Mughal king Shahjahan, the creator of one of the seven wonders, Taj Mahal. And at the time of Mughals ruling, it was introduced to the Indians, as a royal dessert. The word "Gulab" is derived from the Persian words Gul (flower) and āb (water), referring to the rose water-scented syrup. "Jamun" is the Hindi word for an Indian fruit. As these sweet flitters are made similar size and shape of Janum, hence the name came Gulab Jamun. The Gulab Jamun originated from an Arabic dessert called Luqmat Al-Qadi (see the picture). Originally, Luqmat Al-Qadi (the original dish) is made up of dough balls deep fried, soaked in honey syrup and sprinkled with sugar but in India, the recipe is different for preparing  Gulab Jamun. Maybe the experiments were done by chefs of Mughal era and they eventually realized that balls made with Khoya tasted exceptional.

If you ask me a perfect recipe of Gulab Janum, I would say there is no such thing exists. In India, people believe in reinventing food. They keep changing ingredients and taste of any recipe based on their need, suitability, and creativity. Traditionally Gulab Jamun is made by kneading khoya, flour, and milk into a soft dough. Then small balls are made from the dough and then deep-fried in clarified butter (ghee) until golden brown. These balls are then soaked in cardamom flavored sugar syrup. Gulab Janums are mostly served hot with little sugar syrup along with the ball in the bowl. However, I like them chilled without any syrup.

I found this apt Hindi poem over Gulab Jaum by मदन मोहन बाहेती 'घोटू'

जब रहा उबलता गरम दूध, उसने निज तरल रूप खोया..
अग्नि ने इतना तपा दिया, वो आज बंध गया, बन खोया..
वह खोया जब गोली स्वरुप, था तला गया देशी घी में..
सुन्दर गुलाब सी हुई देह, फिर डूबा गरम चाशनी में..
वह नरम गुलाबी और सुन्दर था, गरम गरम सबको भाया..
सबने जी भर कर स्वाद लिया, गुलाब जामुन वो कहलाया..

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The article is written as part of the #SuperBloggerChallenge2018 by #Instacuppa conducted by HealthWealthBridge.com FashionableFoodz.com AllAboutTheWoman.com and should not be re purposed, republished or use otherwise. The content herein is owned by the blogger. SuperBloggerChallenge2018 is not responsible for any infringement caused.

(for poem, credit to Madanmohan Baheti ji)