Kesari bat or kesari baat ( kn, ಕೇಸರಿ ಬಾತ್) is a sweet Indian food that is common throughout the country. The classic ingredients used for its preparation are semolina, sugar, ghee (usually), water, and milk. The sweet is more commonly known as Jonnadula Halwa in certain parts of northern India.
The precise composition of ''kesari bath'' varies regionally depending on the availability of ingredients. The dish might be prepared with pineapple,
banana, mango, coconut,
or rice.
Claims to the origin of the dish are made by
Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, and other regions of
South India. The dish is common in the
cuisine of Karnataka as well as of multiple regions in South India and is a popular dish during festivals such as
Ugadi. The word ''kesari'' in multiple Indian languages refers to the spice
saffron which creates the dish's saffron-orange-yellow-colored tinge.
Though it is a sweet dish, in
Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka,
Kerala and
Tamil Nadu, it is prepared not only as a dessert but also for normal breakfasts. It is also served with ''
uppittu'' or ''khara bath'', and a serving of both dishes on one plate is popularly called "chow chow ''bath''".
In
North India, it is served as a sweet dish called ''sheera'' or ''
suji halwa Suji may refer to:
Food
* Suji, a Japanese dish made from tendons; see tendon as food
* The South Asian name for semolina, a food ingredient
People
* Su-ji, a Korean given name (and a list of people with various English spellings of the name)
* Ma ...
''. It is much simpler with little or no ghee, no color or saffron in contrast to the actual traditional recipe of
Karnataka. It is commonly known as ''sheera'' in Marathi/Hindi, ''rava kesari'' in
Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil, and ''suji halwa'' in North India and Bangladesh.
History
The dish is listed as ''shali-anna'' in
Manasollasa, a 12th-century work by the
Chalukya king
Someshvara III.
References
External links
{{commons category, Kesari
Indian desserts