Kulfi () is a frozen
dairy
A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...
from the
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 Pakista ...
. It is often described as "traditional Indian ice cream".
Kulfi originated in 16th-century
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 ...
during the
Mughal era. It is part of the national cuisines of
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and also popular in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
,
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, and the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
.
Kulfi is denser and creamier than regular
ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
.
It comes in various flavours. Traditional ones include
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
(''
malai''),
rose
A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
,
mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
,
cardamom
Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...
(''elaichi''),
saffron (''kesar'' or ''zafran''), and
pistachio
The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food.
In 2022, world ...
.
Newer flavours may include apple, orange, strawberry, peanut, or
avocado.
Unlike ice cream, kulfi is not churned while it is frozen, resulting in a denser final product which is considered a distinct category of frozen dairy-based dessert.
The density of kulfi causes it to melt more slowly than ice cream.
History
The word ''kulfi'' comes from the
Persian (قلفی) meaning "covered cup". The dessert originated in Delhi during the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
in the 16th century.
The mixture of dense evaporated milk was already popular in the sweet dishes in the Indian subcontinent. During the Mughal period, this mixture was flavoured with pistachios and saffron, packed into metal cones and immersed in
slurry ice, resulting in the invention of kulfi. ''
Ain-i-Akbari'', a detailed record of the Mughal emperor
Akbar's administration, mentions use of
saltpeter for refrigeration as well as transportation of Himalayan ice to warmer areas.
Although Delhi has been described as the birthplace of kulfi, Australian food historian Charmaine O'Brien suggests, "...it is likely that
ulfioriginally evolved in the cooler climates of
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
or
Samarkand
Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
and that the Mughals appropriated the concept and elaborated on it to create the creamy, perfumed dessert that it now is."
Preparation
To prepare kulfi, sweetened, flavoured milk is
slow cooked. The milk is stirred almost continuously to prevent it from sticking to the cooking utensil. During this process, the milk condenses and thickens.
The slow cooking
caramelises the sugar in the mixture and browns its milk proteins, giving kulfi its distinctive taste.
The mixture is then poured into moulds (often
''kulhars'') and sealed. The sealed moulds are submerged in an insulated
''matka'' filled with ice and salt. This quickly freezes the mixture, giving it a soft, smooth consistency free of ice crystals. Kulfi prepared in this traditional way is called ''matka kulfi''.
The moulds are removed from the freezer 10–15 minutes before serving to allow the kulfi to melt slightly. The kulfi is then removed from the moulds and garnished with ground cardamom, saffron, or pistachios. Kulfi is also served with ''
falooda'' (
vermicelli
Vermicelli (, ; , literally "little worms"), is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In Anglosphere, English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is thicker. It is typically made ...
noodles).
Retail sales
Throughout the Indian subcontinent, kulfi is sold by street vendors known as ''kulfiwallahs''. It is also commonly served in Indian restaurants.
Gallery
File:Kesari Aam Kulfi 01.jpg, Saffron- and mango-flavoured kulfi
File:Strawbeerry kulfi.JPG, Kulfi with strawberry sauce
File:Kulfi.jpg, Pistachio-, vanilla-, and rose-flavoured kulfi
File:Kulfi Faluda.jpg, Kulfi with '' falooda'' (vermicelli noodles)
File:Kulfi (1).jpg, A vendor (''kulfiwallah'') selling kulfi in India
See also
*
*
References
{{Ice cream
Indian desserts
Ice cream
Frozen desserts
Rajasthani cuisine
Gujarati cuisine
Pakistani cuisine
Mughlai cuisine
Burmese desserts and snacks
Indian dairy products
Indian cuisine
Bangladeshi cuisine