
Gulgula (
Bhojpuri: 𑂏𑂳𑂪𑂏𑂳𑂪𑂰,
romanized
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
: ''Gulgula'') is a traditional sweet made in different regions of India. It is one of the most popular sweets in the market places, it is traditionally made on specific festive occasions in rural areas. They are common in
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 ...
,
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
Odisha
Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...
,
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 ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
and are also made by overseas Indians in
Guyana
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,
Trinidad and Tobago
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,
Suriname
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,
Jamaica
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,
Mauritius
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, the
United States
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,
South Africa
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, and
Fiji
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.
They are similar to
donut holes in USA, and are very simple to make. They use ordinary wheat flour, sugar (traditionally
jaggery
Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...
), and occasionally spices (
fennel
Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
seeds are common) for flavoring. Yogurt, banana pulp, yeast or baking powder may be used. They are fried in oil or ghee just like donuts. In the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
, they are made using overripened bananas which are mixed with flour and spices and then fried.
History
Traditionally they were made with jaggery (gud गुड़). There is a popular Hindi expression - गुड़ खाना, गुलगुले से परहेज करना- they eat gud, but avoid gulgulas (that contain gud).
The gulgula confection was first mentioned in Pasanaha Cariu (Parshvanath Charit) of
Vibudh Shridhar of 1132 AD.,
[Pasanaha Cariu (Parshvanath-Charit) of Mahakavi Budh Sridhara, Ed/tr. Dr. Rajaram Jain, Bharatiya Jnanpith, 2006, Section 4/1/10, p. 270, 288] written during the
Tomara rule in Delhi, shortly before establishment of the short Chauhan rule.
See also
; Similar Indian food
*
Adhirasam are a Tamil sweet doughnut
*
Makhan Bada (Balushahi), deep fried dough soaked in sugar syrup
*
Gulab jamun, buffalo milk–based quick dough that is deep fried and floated in sweet syrup
*
Imarti, deep fried fermented dough dipped in syrup with many twists and turns
*
Jalebi, deep fried fermented dough dipped in syrup with twists
*
Malpua, a related sweet which is flat and is sometimes dipped in syrup
*
Vadai are savoury rings of dough made from lentils that are popular in South India
; Similar food elsewhere globally
*
Doughnut
A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...
*
List of doughnut varieties
Doughnuts are a type of List of fried dough foods, fried dough food. The following is a list of doughnut and fried dough pastry varieties.
Variations and specialties by region
The terms below constitute either names for different doughnut type ...
References
{{reflist
Doughnuts
Indian doughnuts
Fijian desserts
Banana desserts
Indo-Caribbean cuisine