Laddu: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Sphere shaped sweet from the India}}

| image          = A bowl of laddoo.jpg

| caption        = Laddu

| region = [[India]]

| main_ingredient = Flour, sugar, [[ghee]], Dry fruits

| other          =

'''''Laddu''''' or '''''laddoo''''' ({{Lang-hi|लड्डू}}) is a spherical sweet originating from [[India]]. Laddus are primarily made from flour, fat ([[ghee]]/butter/oil) and sugar. Laddus are often made of [[gram flour]] but can also be made with [[semolina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nishamadhulika.com/2201-besan_ladoo_with_tips_and_tricks.html |script-title=hi:बेसन के लड्डू बनाते समय इन 8 बातों का ध्यान रखें। Besan ladoo with Tips and Tricks |publisher=Nishamadhulika |language=hi|date=5 November 2018 }}</ref> Sometimes ingredients such as chopped nuts and/or dried raisins are also added. The type of ingredients used may vary by recipe.

Laddus are often served during festive or religious occasions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Sweet-shops-make-hay-in-Diwali-shine/2013/10/31/article1864851.ece |title=Sweet shops make hay in Diwali shine |work=The New Indian Express |date=31 October 2013 |access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/as-good-as-home/article5288375.ece |title=As good as home |author=Sangeetha Devi Dundoo |work=The Hindu |date=31 October 2013 |access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref>

2600 BCE, Harappan archaeological site,  4MSR near [[Binjor]], western Rajasthan (India); seven closely kept similar sized nutritional Laddus,consisting of ingredients  legumes and cereals like [[barley]], wheat, [[chickpea]] and  Mung ([[Mung bean|Vigna radiata]]) as main component, were found in intact  form, along with two figurines of bulls and a hand-held copper adze,  during 2017 archeological excavations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Agnihotri |first=Rajesh |date=2021-06-01 |title=Microscopic, biochemical and stable isotopic investigation of seven multi-nutritional food-balls from Indus archaeological site, Rajasthan (India) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X21001292 |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |language=en |volume=37 |pages=102917 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.102917 |s2cid=233578846 |issn=2352-409X}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Tewari |first=Mohita |date=Mar 25, 2021 |title=Harappan people ate multigrain, high-protein 'laddoos': Study |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/harappan-people-ate-multigrain-high-protein-laddoos-study/articleshow/81684776.cms |url-status=live |access-date=2021-06-21 |work=The Times of India}}</ref> According to Rajesh Agnihotri, the presence of bull figurines, adze and a Harappan seal along with the food balls indicates, Indus valley civilization people might have revered these items to perform some kind of ritual.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Boondi laddu or bundiar laddu is made from [[bengal gram]] flour ([[besan]]) based [[boondi]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Krondl |first1=Michael |title=Sweet invention a history of dessert |date=2011 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |location=Chicago, Ill. |isbn=9781569769522 |page=17 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dt0RErSFvE8C&pg=PP17}}</ref> It is often served on festivals such as [[Raksha Bandhan]] and [[Diwali]].

'''Motichoor laddu''' is made from fine boondi where the balls are tiny and are cooked with ghee or oil. The recipe for this laddu originated in north India, however, it is now popular throughout the Indian subcontinent.

[[File:Besan laddu photo.JPG|thumb|200px|Besan laddu decorated with silver foil and almond chips.]]

Besan laddu is a popular Indian sweet dish made of besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), sugar, and ghee. Besan is roasted in ghee till golden brown appearance with a nutty fragrance. Then sugar is added to it. [[Pistachio]] pieces are also mixed in this mixture optionally. Sweet balls are then made from this mixture. It has a long shelf life.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Collingham |first1=Lizzie |title=Curry : a tale of cooks and conquerors |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0195320015 |page=105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2rRCwAAQBAJ&pg=Pg105}}</ref> It is often served at festivals, family events and religious occasions in India.

There are multiple [[coconut]] laddu recipes. Its earliest form ''Narayl Nakru'' dates back to the time of the [[Chola Empire]], when it was a sweet that was packed for travelers and warriors as a symbol of good luck for their expeditions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/food-story-the-journey-of-ladoo-from-a-medicine-to-the-much-loved-indian-sweet/#sthash.6mHIen3o.dpuf |title=Food Story: The journey of ladoo from a medicine to the much-loved Indian sweet |work=The New Indian Express |date=16 October 2004 |author=Madhulika Dash}}</ref>

[[Peda]] (cream balls) is a popular dessert in the Indian subcontinent, prepared from [[khoa]] (milk solids by evaporation). In India, among Hindus, it is often prepared as an offering to the gods.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kumar |first=K.R. |title=Plastics in Food Packaging |chapter=Packaging Aspects of Milk & Milk Based Products |publisher=Central Food Technological Research Institute |location=Mysore, India |page=198 |url=http://icpe.in/Plastics%20in%20Food%20Packaging/pdf/11-Final.pmd.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pWG6myyY_okC&pg=PT37 |title=Mithai |author=Sanjeev Kapoor |publisher=Popular |isbn=9788179917121}}</ref>

This is a laddu prepared from rava ([[semolina]]), sugar and ghee. A variant on the recipe includes khoa cheese as an additional ingredient.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Kachru |editor-first1=Braj B. |editor-last2=Bhatia |editor-first2=Vijay |title=The handbook of world Englishes |date=2006 |publisher=Blackwell |location=Malden, Mass. |isbn=9781405111850 |pages=395–396 |edition=2. print. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PpeXINCnDbIC&pg=PA395}}</ref>

=== Sesame laddu ===

In India, these are traditionally given to [[lactating]] mothers as they help in the production of milk.<ref>Kajale, Neha, et al. "Effect of traditional food supplements on nutritional status of lactating mothers and growth of their infants." Nutrition 30.11 (2014): 1360-1365.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Mayank |title=Traditional Herbal Care of Human Health in Jaunpur (U.P.) |journal=Indian J. L. Sci. |pages=61–65 |year=2012 |volume=1 |issue=2 |url=http://ijls.in/upload/1611558309CHAPTER%20014.pdf |access-date=13 April 2016}}</ref> These laddus are called ''dinkache ladoo'' in [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and ''gond ka laddu'' in [[Hindi]]. The main ingredient is [[gum arabic]] which is collected from the [[Vachellia nilotica|babhul tree]]. Other ingredients include coconut, almonds, cashews, dates, spices such as [[nutmeg]] and [[cardamom]], poppy seeds, ghee, and sugar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dinkache ladoo, Gund ladoo, Gond Ladoo, Gond Ka Laddu.....Easy Recipes on CuisineCuisine.com |url=http://www.cuisinecuisine.com/Dinkache%20Ladoo.htm |website=cuisinecuisine.com |access-date=11 April 2016}}</ref>

The largest individual laddu weighs {{convert|29,465|kg}} and was achieved by PVVS Mallikharjuna Rao (India), in Tapeswaram, Andhra Pradesh, India, on 6 September 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-laddu-(individual) |title=Largest laddu (individual) |website=Guinness World Records}}</ref> The laddu was made to a traditional Boondi recipe. The ingredients included ghee, refined oil, cashew nuts, sugar, almonds, cardamom, and water.

A laddu weighing 6,300&nbsp;kg was made for a [[Ganesh]] festival in [[Andhra Pradesh]], India in September 2012. This was claimed to be the largest known laddu.<ref>{{cite news |title=6,300 kg Tapeswaram laddu creates record |url=http://newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/article810888.ece |work=The New Indian Express |access-date=27 September 2012}}</ref>

In the movie ''[[English Vinglish]]'', the protagonist Shashi Godbole ([[Sridevi]]) is a housewife who makes and sells laddoos for living.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2012/10/04/bollywood_veteran_sridevi_returns_in_english_vinglish.html |title=Bollywood veteran Sridevi returns in English Vinglish |last=Bhandari |first=Aparita |date=4 October 2012 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |access-date=13 October 2017 |language=en-CA |issn=0319-0781}}</ref>