Petha
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| Course | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indian subcontinent |
| Region or state | Agra, Uttar Pradesh |
| Associated cuisine | Indian cuisine |
| Invented | uncertain |
| Main ingredients | Ash gourd, sugar |
| Variations | Kesar Petha, Angoori Petha, Dry Petha, Chocolate Petha, Paan Petha, Gulab Petha |
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Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".Petha (Hindi: पेठा pronounced Script error: No such module "IPA".) is a translucent soft candy from the Indian subcontinent made from ash gourd or white pumpkin. It is simply called petha in Hindi and Urdu.[1][2]
Preparation
Ash gourds, commonly referred to as white pumpkins, are a vegetable with a pale-green exterior and white, heavily seeded, savoury inside that is used to make petha. The gourd is sliced into bite-sized pieces and then cured for a few hours in a solution of Calcium Hydroxide, locally known as Choona or Soon. After removing the gourd pieces from the Choona solution, they're boiled until soft, and then soaked in sugar syrup. The final candy has a sugar-crisp exterior and an almost moist, sticky interior with a firm, crunchy, and almost crystalline texture.
The flavouring of Agra's confections is considered to be inventive, and candy counters in the city are rainbows of vibrantly coloured petha, flavoured with everything from paan to rose.[3]
With growing demand and innovation, more varieties of the original preparation are available. Many flavoured variants are available, e.g. kesar petha, angoori petha etc. There are some other variations based on content, one with coconut mixed, another with some nuts put into it. Sometimes kewda essence is used to flavour petha.[4][5]
History
Petha is said to have been in the subcontinent under various names like Oal and Oal ka Murabba in places like modern-day Jharkhand and Bihar. There is a legend that says that it originated in Mughal kitchens under Shah Jahan and was used to feed the workers constructing the Taj Mahal, but it's highly unlikely considering that there is no mention of Petha in cookbooks of Shah Jahan like Nuskha-e-Shahjahani. There are mentions of dishes resembling Petha before the Mughals came to the subcontinent. Petha is also not like typical Mughal sweets and dishes which were rich in milk and mawa.[6][2][5][7]
See also
- Peda
- Mathura peda
- Dōngguā táng or Rock sugar Winter Melon candy
References
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- ^ T. R. Gopalakrishnan Vegetable Crops, p. 138, at Google Books
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sharma, Sudhirendar (12 October 2019). "Name, place, confection, thing". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Petha Recipe | How to Make Petha | Agra Ka Petha". NDTV Food. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Ammas cooking Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Food Secrets: The Sweet Stories Behind The Legendary Agra Petha and Mysore Pak". The Better India. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Daftuar, Swati (9 June 2012). "Food Safari: in search of Agra Petha". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mishra, Ishita (31 August 2014). "Petha industry not harming Taj: Kalraj". Times of India. Agra. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
