Bengal Or Odisha, Whose Rasgulla Is It Anyway?
By Tanisha Salwan
From Kolkata to Puri to Delhi or literally any part of the country, Rasgulla remains to be the best inventions. For those who don't know, Rasgulla was the first food to be canned in India. Yes!! But, before talking more about it, let's take you through the sweet brawl for this sweet's invention.
Odisha's Claim
The 'Odisha Rasagola' was said to be invented in Odisha's Pahala in the 12th century.
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Offered To Lakshmi
Also known as Khaira Mohana, it was offered to Lakshmi by Lord Jagannath in order to pacify her for not taking her along in the Rath Yatra.
Blessing In Disguise
Some say that a priest taught people in Pahala to curdle milk and make rasagola after he saw villagers throwing excess milk.
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Bengal's Claim
The 'Bengali Rossogolla' was invented by Nobin Chandra Das in Kolkata in 19th century. It was Das who experimented to get the right consistency of the sweet.
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Sweet And Spongy
Unlike the 'Odisha' counterpart, this version is white in colour with a sweeter and spongier texture.
Canned In 1930
Nobin Das's son KC Das and grandson SC Das used vacuum sealing to can and distribute rossogollas in India and the world.
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Writing History
Canning was considered a marketing masterstroke and gained a huge popularity for this sweet.
Did The Issue Resolve?
In 2017, West Bengal bagged GI tag for 'Banglar Rasogolla' while Odisha received the GI tag for 'Odisha Rasagola' in 2019.
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