 Assortment of barfis | |
| Alternative names | Burfi |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Indian subcontinent |
| Main ingredients | Khoa (condensed milk), sugar |
| Variations | Numerous |
Barfi [a] or burfi is a milk-based sweet from the Indian subcontinent with a fudge-like consistency. Its name comes from the Persian and Urdu word (barf) for snow. Barfi is consumed throughout India and Pakistan and is especially popular in North India. It is often served at celebrations and religious festivals such as Diwali and Holi. [1] [2] [3]
Barfi originated in Persia and was introduced to India by the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. [2] [4] Through indentured workers it was brought to Trinidad in the mid-19th century and became popular there. [5]
To prepare barfi, khoa (condensed milk) and granulated sugar are mixed and cooked together. When the mixture thickens to a fudge-like consistency, it is spread onto a greased plate. After cooling, it is cut into squares, diamonds, or circles. It can also be formed into balls, layered, or rolled into multicolored slices. When served at special occasions, it is often decorated with vark (edible silver foil). It can also be decorated with coconut, ground nuts, or powdered milk. [1] [2] [3]
Fruit, nuts, legumes, spices, and other flavorings may be added to the khoa-sugar mixture and yield different varieties of barfi. Commonly added fruits include guava and melon seeds. Typical nuts added include almonds, cashews, coconut, and pistachios. Mung beans are sometimes added and yield moong dal barfi. Common flavorings and spices include cardamom, kewra (fragrant screwpine), orange, mango, saffron, rosewater, and vanilla. Food colorings may also be added. [1] [2] [3]
Halva is a type of confectionery that is widely spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, the Balkans, and South Asia. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made from flour, butter, liquid oil, saffron, rosewater, milk, turmeric powder, and sweetened with sugar.
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs.
Kulfi is a frozen dairy dessert from the Indian subcontinent. It is often described as "traditional Indian ice cream". Kulfi originated in 16th-century Delhi during the Mughal era. It is part of the national cuisines of India and Pakistan. It is also popular in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East.
Laddu or laddoo is a spherical sweet from the Indian subcontinent made of various ingredients and sugar syrup or jaggery. It has been described as "perhaps the most universal and ancient of Indian sweets."
Rajasthani cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Rajasthan state in north-west India. It was influenced by various factors like the warlike lifestyles of its inhabitants, the availability of ingredients in an arid region and by Hindu temple traditions of sampradayas like Pushtimarg and Ramanandi. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred.
Mithai (sweets) are the confectionery and desserts of the Indian subcontinent. Thousands of dedicated shops in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sell nothing but sweets.
Maharashtrian or Marathicuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has distinctive attributes, while sharing much with other Indian cuisines. Traditionally, Maharashtrians have considered their food to be more austere than others.
Gujarati cuisine is the cuisine of the Indian state of Gujarat. The typical Gujarati thali consists of rotli, dal or curry, rice, and shaak. The thali will also include preparations made from pulses or whole beans such as moong, black eyed beans etc., a snack item (farsaan) like dhokla, pathra, samosa, fafda, etc. and a sweet (mishthaan) like mohanthal, jalebi, sevaiya etc.
Khoa, khoya, khowa or mawa is a dairy food widely used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, encompassing India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Punjab, and Pakistan. It is made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan. It is lower in moisture than typical fresh cheeses such as ricotta. It is made up of whole milk instead of whey.
Sindhi cuisine refers to the distinct native cuisine of the Sindhi people from Sindh, Pakistan. Sindhi cuisine has been influenced by Central Asian, Iranian, Mughal food traditions. It is mostly a non-vegetarian cuisine, with even Sindhi Hindus widely accepting of meat consumption. The daily food in most Sindhi households consists of wheat-based flat-bread (Mani) or rice accompanied by two dishes, one gravy and one dry with curd, papad or pickle. Freshwater fish and a wide variety of vegetables are usually used in Sindhi cuisine. Restaurants specializing in Sindhi cuisine are rare, although it is found at truck stops in rural areas of Sindh province, and in a few restaurants in urban Sindh.
Aamras is a sweet dish in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent made from the pulp of the mango fruit. The pulp of a ripe mango is extracted, usually by hand, and is eaten together with pooris or chapatis, Indian breads. Sometimes ghee and milk are added to the pulp to enhance its flavour. Sugar may be added for sweetness. It is often eaten at celebrations and weddings with cardamon and chopped fruits.
Sheer khurma or sheer khorma is a festival vermicelli pudding prepared by Muslims on Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia. It is equivalent to shemai, a Bangladeshi dessert. It is a traditional Muslim festive breakfast, and a dessert for celebrations. This dish is made from various dry fruits, vermicelli, condensed milk, sugar etc. Depending on the region, cardamom, pistachios, almonds, cloves, saffron, raisins, and rose water are also added.
Mughlai cuisine consists of dishes developed or popularised in the early-modern Indo-Persian cultural centres of the Mughal Empire. It represents a combination of cuisine of the Indian subcontinent with the cooking styles and recipes of Central Asian and Islamic cuisine. Mughlai cuisine is strongly influenced by the Turkic cuisine of Central Asia, the region where the early Mughal emperors originally hailed from, and it has in turn strongly influenced the regional cuisines of Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Besan Chakki or Besan Katli or Besan Khandli is a common chakki sweet from the Indian subcontinent. It is made with besan, condensed milk, and sugar.
Kuswar or Kuswad is a set of festive sweets and snacks made and exchanged by Christians of the Konkan region in the Indian subcontinent for the Christmas season or Christmastide. These goodies are major parts of the cuisines of the Goan Catholic community of Goa in the Konkan region, and the Mangalorean Catholic community of Karnataka. There are as many as 22 different ethnic recipes that form this distinct flavour of Christmas celebration in Goa and Mangalore. Kuswad is also made and exchanged by Karwari Catholics of Carnataca and the Kudali Catholics of Sindhudurg, in the Konkan division of Maharashtra.
Gujhia, also known as Gughara, Pedakiya, Purukiya, Karanji, Kajjikayalu, Somas, and Karjikayi, is a sweet, deep-fried pastry that is a popular dessert in the Indian subcontinent. This delicacy is made using either suji (semolina) or maida, which is stuffed with a mixture of sweetened khoa and dried fruits. The dumpling is then fried in ghee to give it a crispy texture.
Gajar ka halwa, also known as Gajorer halwa, Gajarno halwo, Gajrela, Gajar pak, and carrot pudding, is a sweet Indian dessert made by placing grated carrots in a pot containing a specific amount of water, milk, sugar, and cardamom and then cooking while stirring regularly. It is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios. The nuts and other items used are first sautéed in ghee, a type of clarified butter from the Indian subcontinent. It is generally served hot during the winter.
Suji ka Halwa or Mohan Bhog is a type of halvah made by toasting semolina in a fat like ghee or oil, and adding a sweetener like sugar syrup, honey, or jaggery powder. It can be served for breakfast or as a dessert item. The basic recipe is made with just semolina, sugar or honey, ghee, and sometimes milk. Variations on this include dried or fresh fruits, nuts, shredded coconut, and other toppings. Wheat flour is often used as a substitute if semolina is not available, but virtually any starch can be used to make Suji ka Halwa.
Mirzapur is a village in Ishwarganj Upazila of Mymensingh District in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Barfi is a fudge-like sweet made from condensed milk, sugar, and flavourings such as cardamom or pistachios. It is believed to have originated in Persia and was introduced to India by the Mughals.
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