Sandesh (sweet) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Sandesh ( bn, সন্দেশ ''Shôndesh'') is a dessert, originating from the
A sweet dish by the name ''sandesh'' is mentioned in 
It is hard to determine when exactly ''sandesh'' started referring mainly to the chhena-based sweet instead of the kheer-based sweet. However, it is known that by the second half of the 19th century, sandesh commonly referred to the chhena-based sweet.
''Sandesh'' can be made with the use of chhena or paneer. The simplest kind of ''sandesh'' in Bengal is the ''makha sandesh'' (makha, meaning 'kneaded'). It is prepared by tossing the chhena lightly with sugar over low heat. When shaped into balls, it is called ''Kanchagolla'' (''kancha'', meaning 'raw' and ''golla'', meaning 'ball'). For more complex and elaborately prepared ''sandesh'', the chhena is dried and pressed, flavored with fruit, and sometimes even colored, and cooked to many different consistencies. Sometimes it is filled with syrup, blended with coconut or kheer, and molded into a variety of shapes such as conch shells, elephants, and fish. Another variant is ''nolen gurer sandesh'', which is made with gur or jaggery. It is known for its brown or caramel colour that comes from ''nolen gur''.
Sweetmeats
in Banglapedia {{Cheese dishes Bengali cuisine Indian desserts Sweets of West Bengal Bangladeshi desserts
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, created with milk and sugar. Some recipes of ''sandesh'' call for the use of chhena or paneer
Paneer (), also known as ponir () is a fresh acid-set cheese common in the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) made from full-fat buffalo milk or cow milk. It is a non-aged, non-melting sof ...
(which is made by curdling the milk and separating the whey from it) instead of milk itself. Some people in the region of Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
make a form of ''sandesh'' called ''pranahara'' (literally 'heart stealer') which is softer and made with ''mawa'' and yogurt
Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...
. The Gupo/Gufo style of ''sandesh'' from Guptipara
Guptipara is a census town in Balagarh, a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Sadar subdivision of the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Guptipara sits beside the Hooghly Ri ...
is considered by some to be the "first branded sweet of Bengal".
History
A sweet dish by the name ''sandesh'' is mentioned in medieval Bengali literature {{unreferenced, date=August 2015
The Middle Bengali language, Middle Bengali Literature is a period in the history of Bengali literature dated from 15th to 18th centuries. Following the Turkic peoples in India, Turkic Muslim in india, Muslim Muslim ...
, including Krittibas' Ramayana and lyrics of Chaitanya. However, the ingredients of this original dish are not known. This dish was most likely different from the modern chhena-based sandesh, which is made of solidified kheer
Kheer, also known as payasam, is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur w ...
.
It is hard to determine when exactly ''sandesh'' started referring mainly to the chhena-based sweet instead of the kheer-based sweet. However, it is known that by the second half of the 19th century, sandesh commonly referred to the chhena-based sweet.
Preparation
''Sandesh'' can be made with the use of chhena or paneer. The simplest kind of ''sandesh'' in Bengal is the ''makha sandesh'' (makha, meaning 'kneaded'). It is prepared by tossing the chhena lightly with sugar over low heat. When shaped into balls, it is called ''Kanchagolla'' (''kancha'', meaning 'raw' and ''golla'', meaning 'ball'). For more complex and elaborately prepared ''sandesh'', the chhena is dried and pressed, flavored with fruit, and sometimes even colored, and cooked to many different consistencies. Sometimes it is filled with syrup, blended with coconut or kheer, and molded into a variety of shapes such as conch shells, elephants, and fish. Another variant is ''nolen gurer sandesh'', which is made with gur or jaggery. It is known for its brown or caramel colour that comes from ''nolen gur''.
References
External links
Sweetmeats
in Banglapedia {{Cheese dishes Bengali cuisine Indian desserts Sweets of West Bengal Bangladeshi desserts