|
Ladoo
''Laddu'' or ''laddoo'' is a spherical sweet from the Indian subcontinent made of various ingredients and sugar syrup or jaggery. It has been described as "perhaps the most universal and ancient of Sweets from the Indian subcontinent, Indian sweets." ''Laddus'' are often served during celebrations and religious festivals, especially those associated with the Hindu deity Ganesha. History Archaeological excavations have found "food balls" made of legumes and cereals such as barley, wheat, chickpea and mung bean were consumed in the Indus Valley Civilization circa 2600 BCE. In the 3rd-4th century Sanskrit medical text ''Sushruta Samhita'', ''ladduka'' are described as small balls of jaggery, peanut, peanuts, and sesame seeds coated with honey. These balls were used as an antiseptic and to oral administration, deliver medication. However, the first documented mention of ''laddu'' as a sweet is in the 11th-century Western India, Western Indian cookbook Indian cookbooks, ''Lok ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sweets From The Indian Subcontinent
Mithai (sweets) are the confectionery and desserts of the Indian subcontinent.The Sweet Side of the Subcontinent Raison d'Etre, New York City (September 20, 2012) Thousands of dedicated shops in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing but sweets. Sugarcane has been grown in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, and the art of refining sugar was invented there 8000 years ago (6000 BCE) by the Indus Valley civilisation. The English word "sugar" comes from a Sanskrit word for refined sugar, while the word "candy" comes from Sanskrit word for the unrefined sugar – one of the simplest raw forms of sweet. Over its long history, cuisines of the Indian subcontinent developed a diverse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. (subscription required) Although the terms "Indian subcontinent" and "South Asia" are often also used interchangeably to denote a wider region which includes, in addition, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the "Indian subcontinent" is more of a geophysical term, whereas "South Asia" is more geopolitical. "South Asia" frequently also includes Afghanistan, which is not considered part of the subcontinent even in extended usage.Jim Norwine & Alfonso González, ''The Third World: states of mind and being'', pages 209, Taylor & Francis, 1988, Quote: ""The term "South Asia" also signifies the Indian Subcontinent""Raj S. Bhopal, ''Ethnicity, race, and health in multicultural societies'', pages 33, Oxford University Press, 2007, ; Q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peanut
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as a grain legume and as an oil crop. Atypically among legumes, peanut pods geocarpy, develop underground; this led botanist Carl Linnaeus to name peanuts ''hypogaea'', which means "under the earth". The peanut belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), commonly known as the legume, bean, or pea family. Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules, which improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations. Despite not meeting the Botanical nut, botanical definition of a nut as "a fruit whose ovary (botany), ovary wall becomes hard at maturity," peanuts are usually categorized as nuts for culinary purposes and in common English. Some pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. ''Musk'' was a name originally given to a substance with a strong odor obtained from a gland of the musk deer. The substance has been used as a popular perfume fixative since ancient times and is one of the most expensive animal products in the world. The name originates from the Late Greek μόσχος 'moskhos', from Persian ''mushk'' and Sanskrit मुष्क muṣka () derived from Proto-Indo-European noun ''múh₂s'' meaning "mouse". The deer gland was thought to resemble a scrotum. The term is applied to various plants and animals of similar smell (e.g., muskox) and has come to encompass a wide variety of aromatic substances with similar odors, despite their often differing chemical structures and molecular shapes. Natural musk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Camphor
Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapur tree (Dryobalanops, ''Dryobalanops'' sp.), a tall timber tree from South East Asia. It also occurs in some other related trees in the Lauraceae, laurel family, notably ''Ocotea usambarensis''. Rosemary leaves (''Rosmarinus officinalis'') contain 0.05 to 0.5% camphor, while camphorweed (''Heterotheca'') contains some 5%. A major source of camphor in Asia is Ocimum kilimandscharicum, camphor basil (the parent of African blue basil). Camphor can also be synthetically produced from oil of turpentine. The compound is Chirality (chemistry), chiral, existing in two possible enantiomers as shown in the structural diagrams. The structure on the left is the naturally occurring (+)-camphor ((1''R'',4''R'')-bornan-2-one), while its mirror image show ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosewater
Rose water, or rosewater, is a flavoured water created by steeping rose petals in water. It is typically made as a by-product during the distillation of rose petals to create rose oil for perfumes. Rose water is widely utilized to flavour culinary dishes and enhance cosmetic products, and it is significant in religious rituals throughout Eurasia. Iran is a major producer, supplying around 90% of the world's rose water demand. Central Iran is home to the annual Golabgiri festival each spring. Thousands of tourists visit the area to celebrate the rose harvest for the production of rosewater. History Since ancient times, roses have been used medicinally, nutritionally, and as a source of perfume. Rose perfumes are made from rose oil, also called "attar of roses", which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam-distilling the crushed petals of roses. Rose water is a by-product of this process. Before the development of the technique of distilling rose water, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dried Fruits
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed prior to cooking or being eaten on its own. Drying may occur either naturally, by sun, through the use of industrial dehydrators, or by freeze drying. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is valued for its sweet taste, nutritional content, and long shelf life. In the 21st century, dried fruit consumption is widespread worldwide. Nearly half of dried fruits sold are raisins, followed by dates, prunes, figs, apricots, peaches, apples, and pears. These are referred to as "conventional" or "traditional" dried fruits: fruits that have been dried in the sun or in commercial dryers. Many fruits, such as cranberries, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and mango are infused with a sweetener (e.g., sucrose syrup) prior to drying. Some products sold as dried fruit, like papaya, kiwifruit and pineapple, are most often candied fruit. Histo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White Flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures. Corn flour has been important in Mesoamerican cuisine since ancient times and remains a staple in the Americas. Rye flour is a constituent of bread in both Central Europe and Northern Europe. Cereal flour consists either of the endosperm, germ, and bran together (whole-grain flour) or of the endosperm alone (refined flour). ''Meal'' is either differentiable from flour as having slightly coarser particle size (degree of comminution) or is synonymous with flour; the word is used both ways. The CDC has cautioned not to eat raw flour doughs or batters. Raw flour can contain harmful bacteria such as '' E. coli'' and needs to be cooked like other foods. Normal processing of flour from which the outer layers have been removed (white flour) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sevai
Sevai (), also called shavige, semiya, (), saemia () and santhakai (), is a type of rice vermicelli dish popular in India. While typically made from rice, varieties made from other food grains like wheat, ''ragi'', and others can also be found. History According to food historian K. T. Achaya, references in the Sangam literature mentions ''sevai'' and ''idiyappam'' around 1st century CE. Lokopakara (1025 CE) a cookbook in Kannada also mentions method of making ''sevai'' and a mold-presser used for it. "Lokopakara" Agri-History Bulletin No. 6 - (Trans) Ayangarya, Y. L. Nene, Nalini Sadhale, Valmiki Sreenivasa (Trans), 2004 Preparation Sevai is mostly made fresh starting from rice grains. It is also prepared from dried sevai packs (or rice sticks). Traditionally, making sevai at home consists of the following steps (with minor variations based on location and family customs): *Soaking of parboiled rice in cold water for about 3 hours *Grinding of soaked rice using a wet gri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Cookbooks
Indian cookbooks are cookbooks written in India, or about Indian cooking. Indian cooking varies regionally and has evolved over the centuries due to various influences. Vegetarianism has made a significant impact on Indian cooking and spices play a major role as well. Early Indian texts and cookbooks Ayurvedic Samhitas (4th century BCE) Ayurvedic texts classify food into three categories: ''sattvic'', ''rajasic'', and ''tamasic''. Tastes (rasa) are classified into six types known as ''shadrasa'' according to their qualities for an ideal meal: sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Traditional meal presentation often includes all six of these qualities. Several samhitas from Ayurvedic texts describe and discuss methods for cooking food. They mention recipes for cooking rice in different ways, some examples include: * '' Tāpaharī'', a seasoned rice dish * ''Māṃsaudana'', rice cooked with meat * ''Mudgaudana'', rice cooked with mung beans * ''Kṣīraudana' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western India
Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of India, Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative divisions of India, Administrative division includes the States and territories of India, states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, while the Ministry of Culture (India), Ministry of Culture and some historians also include the state of Rajasthan. The Geological Survey of India includes Maharashtra but excludes Rajasthan whereas Ministry of Minority Affairs includes Karnataka but excludes Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh is also often included and Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and southern Punjab, India, Punjab are sometimes included. Western India may also refer to the western half of India, i.e. all the states west of Delhi and Chennai, thus also including Punjab, India, Punjab, Kerala and surroun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
