Ghevar or Ghewar is a disc-shaped Rajasthani sweet with a honeycomb-like texture, made from

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

, maida, and sugar syrup. It is traditionally associated with the month of

Shraavana Śrāvaṇa () is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, typically beginning in mid to late July and ending in late August. In the Tamil calendar, it is known as ...

and the festivals of

Teej Tīja, , literally meaning "third"—denoting the third day after the new moon when the monsoon begins as per the Hindu calendar—is a collective term for three Hindu List of Hindu festivals, festivals primarily dedicated to the mother goddess ...

and

Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hin ...

. It is a part of Rajasthani tradition and is gifted to newly married daughter on Sinjara, the day preceding Gangaur and

. It is also one of the Chhapan Bhog (56 dishes) served to the Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

. Besides Rajasthan, it is also famous in the adjoining states of

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, and

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

. Ghevar is savoured by masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor, too. Ghevar made its way into the coveted

MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British ''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and ch ...

when Depinder Chhibber served the sweet in audition round of Season 13.

Etymology

The word "ghevar" is connected to the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

term "ghṛtapūra" (घृतपूर), which breaks down into "ghṛta" (घृत), meaning "

" (clarified butter), and "pūra" (पूर), meaning "filled" or "cake." This term translates to "ghee cake," reflecting the sweet's use of ghee and its cake-like texture. 16th century saint poet Mira Bai, offers Ghevar to Krishna in one of her poems.

Origin

The origin of Ghevar can be traced back to the royal courts of Rajasthan, where chefs crafted this delicacy for the

Maharajas Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

, before eventually making its way to the common people of Rajasthan and India.

Preparation

Ghevar is a disc-shaped sweet cake made with flour, ghee (clarified butter), and soaked in sugar syrup. Flour, ghee, milk, and water are mixed to make a batter. The batter is then poured in ghee in disc shape and is fried to a golden honeycomb-like texture. Common toppings include saffron, spices and nuts.

Variations

Ghevar comes in multiple varieties, including plain, mawa, and malai ghevar. Jaipur's LMB introduced variations like

Chhena Chhena () or chhana () is a kind of acid-set cheese originating in the Indian subcontinent that is made from water buffaloDalby, A 2009, ''Cheese: A Global History'', Reaktion Books, p. 73, Kapoor, S & Kapoor, A 2006, ''Sanjeev Kapoor's No-oil V ...

Ghevar in 1961. Ghevar can be soaked in sugar-water syrup or is often topped with rabdi. A special variation for weight watchers and diabetics is its sugar free version available nowadays.

References

{{Rajasthan Indian cuisine Rajasthani cuisine Indian desserts Rajasthani desserts Vegetarian dishes of India North Indian cuisine Desi culture Rajasthan