Shrikhand is a traditional sweet of the Indian subcontinent made from

strained yogurt Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive so ...

. It is often served as part of a ''

thali Thali (meaning "plate"), Bhojanam (meaning "full meal") or Chakluk is a round platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a selection of various di ...

'' (platter) or with ''

puris Puri (sometimes spelled as poori) is a deep-fried bread made from unleavened whole-wheat flour that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is eaten for breakfast or as a snack or light meal. It is usually served with a savory curry or ''bha ...

'' (puffed deep-fried whole wheat bread). It is a traditional dessert in

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

cuisine.

History

Both

Gujaratis The Gujarati people or Gujaratis, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who reside in or can trace their ancestry or heritage to the present-day western Indian state of Gujarat. They primarily speak Gujarati, an Indo-Aryan language. While G ...

and

Maharashtrians The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

claim the invention of shrikhand. According to a popular legend, shrikhand was invented by traveling

herders A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. ...

. To carry their

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in t ...

more easily while traveling overnight, they strained out its

whey Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard ...

. Since the strained yogurt became sour by morning, they mixed it with sugar and nuts to make it more palatable, and shrikhand was born. According to

food historian Food history is an interdisciplinary field that examines the history and the cultural, economic, environmental, and sociological impacts of food and human nutrition. It is considered distinct from the more traditional field of culinary history, ...

K. T. Achaya K. T. Achaya (6 October 1923 – 5 September 2002) was an oil chemist, food scientist, nutritionist and food historian. He is the author of ''Indian Food: A Historical Companion'', ''The Food Industries of British India'', and ''A Historical Di ...

, shrikhand was first made around 500 BC. His book ''Indian Food: A Historical Companion'' states, "To dewater curd, it was hung in a

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...

bag for a few hours; sugar and spices added to the mass yielded shikharini (identical with modern day shrikhand), first noted around 500 BC.” As seen below, this procedure is still followed today. The 11th century

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

poet Chavundaraya II gave a recipe for shrikhand (as ''shikharini'') in his book on agriculture, the ''Lokopakara''. The ''Soopa Shastra'', a cookbook written in 1508 by the

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

king Mangarasa III, also mentions shrikhand.

Preparation

To prepare shrikhand, yogurt is poured onto a

cheesecloth Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking. Grades Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the numbe ...

. The cheesecloth is tied and hung for several hours to drain the whey. The strained yogurt is transferred to a bowl, and sugar, saffron, and cardamom are added. The mixture is whisked thoroughly to blend the flavors and impart a smooth, creamy texture. It is then covered, chilled for a few hours, and served. The prepared shrikhand may be garnished with almonds or pistachios before serving.

Gallery

File:Shrikhand.JPG, Shrikhand with pistachios and

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

File:Mango Shrikhand.JPG,

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

-flavored shrikhand File:Gulkhand.jpg,

Gulkand Gulkand (also written gulqand or gulkhand) is a sweet preserve of rose petals originating in the Indian subcontinent. The term is derived from Persian; ''gul'' (rose) and ''qand'' (sugar/sweet). Preparation Traditionally, gulkand has been prepa ...

(rose)-flavored shrikhand File:Shrikhand puri.jpg, Shrikhand with ''

'' File:Plate of Indian meals - 03.JPG, Shrikhand in a ''

'' (platter)

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Indian Dishes Maharashtrian cuisine Indian desserts Yogurt-based dishes Indian dairy products