A falooda is a Mughlai Indian version of a cold dessert made with noodles.[1][2] It has origins in the Persian dish faloodeh, variants of which are found across West, Central, and South Asia.[3] Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup, vermicelli, and sweet basil seeds with milk, often served with ice cream.[4] The vermicelli used for preparing falooda is made from wheat,[5] arrowroot, cornstarch, or sago.[6]
Falooda with kulfi, rose syrup, and basil seeds (sabja seeds) | |
Course | Beverage |
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Place of origin | India |
Serving temperature | Cold |
Main ingredients | Milk, rose syrup, vermicelli, sweet basil |
The origin of falooda goes back to Iran (Persia), where a similar dessert, Faloodeh, was popular.[7] The dessert came to Medieval India with the many Central Asian dynasties that invaded and settled in South Asia in the 16th to 18th century.[7] The present form of falooda was developed in the Mughal Empire and spread with its conquests. The Persianate rulers who succeeded from the Mughals patronized the dessert with their own adaptations, specifically in Hyderabad Deccan and the Carnatic areas of present-day India.[2] This dessert is now a major part of Indian cuisine, served on weddings and other occasions. It is also a well known part of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan culture.
In idiomatic Hindustani, faluda is sometimes used as a reference to something that has been shredded, which is an allusion to the vermicelli noodles. For example, someone who falls into disrepute might say that his or her izzat has been turned to faluda (Hindi: इज़्ज़त का फ़ालूदा, Urdu: عزت کا فالودہ, romanized: izzat ka faluda), which is roughly equivalent to saying "my reputation is shot".[8]
... Magar this time to izzat ka falooda ban jayega (my reputation will be shot) ...
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