Written by: Stefania Piccardo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
There are hips of sweets to go round in India at every time of the year: from jalebi, to halwa to modak to soan papdi, these delicacies complete any event perfectly and considering the variety of festivals that India boasts, you will be spoiled with choice.
But among all those, the queen of them all is without a doubt the beloved gulab jamun.
My first memory of gulab jamun is out of this world. I tasted it for the first time during my first journey to India and it has been my favourite Indian dessert ever since. Its soft-touch against my palate and the cardamom rose taste captured my sweet tooth forever. And I am not generally on the sweet side as I like savoury dishes best!
Gulab jamun is one of the many scrumptious treats that namaste delhi has in store for its customers who are eager to satisfy their sweet tooth. It is one of the many delicacies that you can find in india particularly during special occasions like weddings, festivals such as diwali, holi to name but a few.
It is served hot with ice cream to complement the taste and offer that perfect balance between hot and cold.
It is the most loved sweet by Indians in India and abroad and not only! It is also very popular in many countries and widely appreciated by other nationalities too.
History of Gulab Jamun
But where is this delightful sweet originate from? This delicacy that you can commonly find on the shelves in any supermarket today, actually boasts ancient roots that are worth exploring. It is believed that this sweet was originated from Persia and then invaded India during the Mughal empire.
It is very similar to an Arabic dessert named Luqman-al-qadi, which was introduced to India with the invasion of Mughal emperors. One of the theories also claims that it was invented by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's personal chef.
There are other untold stories surrounding this delicacy but one thing is for certain: these round cheesy balls fried in oil will take over your taste buds and the full-flavoured rose or cardamom scent will ravish you at the first bite. It melts in your mouth like fluffy snow and paired with ice cream, it offers the perfect climax to any meal.
The etymology of Gulab Jamun
Where does this name ‘Gulab Jamun’ come from for this delectable sweet dish? The word ‘Gulab’ was derived from the Persian word ‘gol’ and ‘ab’ which respectively meant flower and water which referred to the rose water scented syrup. “Gulab” also means rose in Hindi which suits perfectly the rose syrup used to cook it. The other word ‘Jamun’ is the Hindi-Urdu word for the popular Indian fruit Black Plum which is very close in shape and size.
These small cheese balls are dipped into sugar syrup which is flavoured with green cardamom and rose water, kewra or saffron. This is how the most traditional and simple Gulab jamun is prepared. Decide to treat yourself today and come to taste our Gulab Jamun to complete your meal, add ice cream to it and finish with a bang!
Stefania Piccardo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stefania Piccardo obtained her Ph.D. in English language and literature from La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. During her academic years, she worked for Scottish distilleries and castles as a tour guide in multiple languages. Her love for Scotland brought her back to Aberdeen in 2003, where she obtained an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University. She then worked for multiple organizations but soon realized that she wanted to teach languages privately to the corporate level. Stefania has helped many students achieve the best grades in school and university but most of all she has the ambition to train corporate employees who deal with import/export, foreign trade or want to develop their career and expand their horizons for more opportunities in Europe and beyond. She speaks four languages including Italian, her mother tongue, English, French and Spanish and she has founded Language tutor4U back in 2012. In addition to her teaching schedule, she works as a PR/Marketing manager for Namaste Delhi, the innovative and traditional Indian restaurant she owns along with her husband in Aberdeen City center since 2018. As a keen writer, she also enjoys feeding social media posts and writing for her blogs about Italian and Indian cultures, languages, and much more!
