Jalebi

Jalebi

Jalebis as served in South Asia
Alternative names	Jilebi, Jilapi, zoolbia (Middle east), jeri (Nepal)
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	Middle East
Region or state	South Asia
Main ingredients	Maida flour, saffron, ghee, sugar
Variations	Jaangiri or Imarti
Food energy (per serving)	130 per serving kcal
Cookbook: Jalebi   Media: Jalebi

Imaratee and Jalebi (jilebi, Hindi: जलेबी, Urdu: جلیبی, Punjabi: ਜਲੇਬੀ jalebī; Bengali: জিলাপী jilapi; Persian: زولبیا zoolbia; Arabic: zalabiyah is an Arabian sweet that gained popularity in countries of the Indian Subcontinent such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It is made by deep-frying batter in a kind of pretzel or circular shape, then soaked in syrup.

It is served warm or cold. It has a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating. Citric acid or lime juice is sometimes added to the syrup, as well as rosewater or other flavours suchs as kewra water.

A similar sweet is imarti, which is red-orange in color and sweeter in taste, made in many North Indian States [(Uttar Pradeh, Rajasthan, madhya Pradesh and some more)], India. Jalebis are also sometimes made of chhena, such as in parts of Rajasthan, Bengal or Orissa, though the form can differ quite a bit from place to place.

In India it is served as the Celebration Sweet of India especially during the national holidays like Independence Day and Republic Day in the government offices, defence and other organisations. Similarly, Jalebi is one of the most popular sweets in Pakistan. Jalebi is also sometimes spelt as "Jalibi". Jalebi is also used as a remedy for headaches in some parts of Pakistan where it is placed in boiling milk and left to stand before eating.

The earliest written references to the sweet is in a 13th century cookbook by Muhammad bin Hasan al-Baghdadi. In Iran, where it is known as Zlebia, the sweet was traditionally given to the poor during Ramadan. It likely arrived during Muslim rule of the Indian Subcontinent, through cultural diffusion and trade, and its local name is Jalebi as Z is replaced by J in most Indian languages.

One of the earliest known Indian references for the sweet exists in a Jain work — Priyamkarnrpakatha — by Jinasura, apparently composed in AD 1450. This work was subsequently cited in cookery books published in later centuries including the 17th-century classic Bhojan-kutuhala by Raghunatha. So one can say with some measure of certainty that the jalebi has existed in the Indian subcontinent for at least 500 years.

Geographic distribution

The Persian word for Jalebi is "zoolbia." In Egypt, Lebanon and Syria it is known as "zalabia" (sometimes spelt as "zalabiya"). In the Maldives it is known by the name "zilēbi". This sweet is called "jeri" in Nepal, a word derived from jangiri, and the Mogul Emperor Jahangir. In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia this sweet is known as Zlebia or Zlabia. The United States offers a similar foodstuff, called funnel cake, except instead of honey, powdered sugar is sprinkled on top.

Introduction to the Indian Subcontinent

The recipe was introduced to the Indian Subcontinent during the Mughal Era as Zoolbier, and the name gradually changed to Jalebi.

See also

2

Further reading

• Epicure's Delectable Desserts of the World By Asha Khatau ISBN 81-7991-119-5