Laapsi or lapsi is an Indian sweet dish which has a lot of variants and is made using grain flour or broken wheat and

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...

, along with

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

, nuts,

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the d ...

s and other

dried fruit Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...

s. Lapsi is commonly prepared during Hindu ceremonies, and is served as a

religious offering Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly ex ...

to Devtas. Lapsi forms an integral part of

North Indian cuisine North Indian cuisine is collectively the cuisine of Northern India, which includes the cuisines of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and adjoining western Bihar. Sub-types of No ...

Etymology

The name Lapsi (लप्सी) or Laapsi (लापसी) is derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word Lapsikā (लप्सिका).

History

References to Lapsi are present in Ancient and Medieval Sanskrit literature particularly the Ayurvedic literature, ''Pākaśāstra'' texts (

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

culinary texts) and

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

(Hindu religious scriptures).

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya ...

mentions Lapsika as a ''Naivedhya'' for Puja (Hindu ritual worship). Lapsi finds mention in Ayurvedic text named ''Bhāvaprakāśa nighaṇṭu''. The recipe of Lapsi is vividly described in ''Bhojanakutūhala,'' one of the important ''Pākaśāstra'' text. The recipe of Lapsi in ''Bhojanakutūhala'' uses ''samita'' (refined wheat flour) as the main ingredient. Bhakt Surdas, a renowned Hindu saint of Bhakti tradition makes a mention of Lapsi in his

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana ...

poetry.

Variants

There are different types of Lapsi depending on the main ingredient: # Aate Ki Laspi (Whole Wheat flour Laspi) # Suji or ''Rava'' ki Lapsi (Semolina Lapsi) # ''Dalia'' or ''Fada'' ki Lapsi (Broken wheat Lapsi) #

Besan Gram flour or kadala maavu is a pulse flour made from a variety of ground chickpea called Bengal gram or ''kaala chana''. It is a staple ingredient in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, including in Indian, Bangladeshi, Burmese, Nepal ...

Ki Lapsi or

Chana Dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

Lapsi (Gram flour or Bengal Gram lentil Lapsi) #

Moong The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...

Dal Lapsi (Mung bean Lapsi) # Singhare Ki Lapsi (Water Chestnut Lapsi) # Badam ki Lapsi (Almond Lapsi)

Cultural uses

Different variants of Lapsi are prepared in Hindu households during different festive occasions and religious ceremonies. The combo of '''Lapsi & Puri''' or Lapsi & Suhari''' is prepared along with ''Kala Channa,'' on

Durga Ashtami Durga Ashtami or Maha Ashtami is one of the most auspicious days of the five days long Durga Puja Festival celebrated in the honor of mother goddess Durga. Traditionally, the festival is observed for 10 days in Hindu households but the actual pu ...

festival. Usually, ''Suji Ki Lapsi'' is prepared for Durga Ashtami & other ''Mangalik karyas'' (auspicious works) ''Singhare ki Lapsi'' is usually prepared as a ''Phalahaari diet'' for '' Vrat.'' ''Moong Dal Lapsi'' is a common dessert during

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

festival. ''Besan Lapsi'' & ''Badam ki Lapsi'' is prepared as a winter dish. ''Dalia or Fada ki Lapsi'' is popular variant prevalent in states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

References

Rajasthani desserts {{dessert-stub