''Shrikhand'' is a traditional sweet of the Indian subcontinent made from

strained yogurt Strained yogurt, Greek or Greek-style yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, kerned yogurt or labneh is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preser ...

. It is often served as part of a ''

thali Thali (meaning "plate" or "tray") or Bhojanam (meaning "full meal") is a round Platter (dishware), platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a sel ...

'' (platter) or with '' puris'' (puffed deep-fried whole wheat bread). It is a traditional dessert in Gujarati and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

cuisine.

History

Both

Gujaratis The Gujarati people, or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to a region of the Indian subcontinent primarily centered in the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They ...

and

Maharashtrians The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Arya ...

claim the invention of ''shrikhand''. According to a popular legend, shrikhand was invented by traveling

herders A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. Th ...

. To carry their

yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

more easily while traveling overnight, they strained out its

whey Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard c ...

. Since the strained yogurt became sour by morning, they mixed it with sugar to make it more palatable, leading to the creation of ''shrikhand''. According to

food historian Food history is an interdisciplinary field that examines the history and the cultural, economic, environmental, and sociological impacts of food and human nutrition. It is considered distinct from the more traditional field of culinary history, wh ...

K. T. Achaya, ''shrikhand'' was first made around 500 BC. His book ''Indian Food: A Historical Companion'' states, "To dewater curd, it was hung in a

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq. Muslin was produced in different regions o ...

bag for a few hours; sugar and spices added to the mass yielded ''shikharini'' (identical with modern day ''shrikhand''), first noted around 500 BC.” As seen below, this procedure is still followed today. The 11th century

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

poet Chavundaraya II gave a recipe for ''shikharini'' as strained yogurt mixed with flavorings and spices in his book on agriculture, the ''Lokopakara''. The ''Soopa Shastra'', a cookbook written in 1508 by the Jain king Mangarasa III, also mentions ''shrikhand''.

Preparation

To prepare ''shrikhand'', yogurt is poured onto a

cheesecloth Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking. The fabric has holes large enough to quickly allow liquids (like whey) to percolate through the fabric, but small enough to retain solids lik ...

. The cheesecloth is tied and hung for several hours to drain the whey. The strained yogurt is transferred to a bowl, and sugar, saffron, and cardamom are added. The mixture is whisked thoroughly to blend the flavors and impart a smooth, creamy texture. It is then covered, chilled for a few hours, and served. The prepared ''shrikhand'' may be garnished with

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

pistachios 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 ...

before serving.

Gallery

File:Shrikhand.JPG, ''Shrikhand'' with pistachios and

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...

File:Mango Shrikhand.JPG,

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 ...

-flavored ''shrikhand'' File:Gulkhand.jpg,

Gulkand Gulkand (also written gulqand or gulkhand) is a sweet Fruit preserves, preserve of rose petals originating in the Indian subcontinent. The term is derived from Persian; ''gul'' (rose) and ''qand'' (sugar/sweet). Preparation Traditionally, gu ...

(rose)-flavored ''shrikhand'' File:Shrikhand puri.jpg, ''Shrikhand'' with '' puris'' File:Plate of Indian meals - 03.JPG, ''Shrikhand'' in a ''

'' (platter)

References

Bibliography

External links