🧑🤝🧑 Bengalis
People of Bengal, in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh; known for rasgulla and mishti doi; GI "Banglar Rasogolla" dates from 2017.
The Bengalis are the people of Bengal, a region of South Asia, living in the Indian state of West Bengal and in Bangladesh. The best-known dairy sweets of their cuisine are rasgulla made from chhena, a fresh cheese, and mishti doi, a sweet yogurt; in 2017 India registered the geographical indication "Banglar Rasogolla".
Chhena is made from cows' milk: as described in Heliyon (2020), the milk is boiled, cooled to 30 ± 5 °C and curdled with a 1% lactic acid solution at 70 °C. Balls of about 10 g are rolled from the chhena and boiled for 20–25 minutes in a 50–60 °Brix syrup, then kept for another 6 hours in a weaker syrup. By measurement, such rasgulla contains about 45% water, 9% protein, 8% fat and 37% carbohydrates.
Mishti doi is a sweet yogurt. Frontiers in Microbiology (2023) describes mishti dahi from North-East India like this: cows' milk is boiled with sugar (up to 10%), cooled, poured into small clay pots and mixed with a starter from the previous batch; it sets in 1–2 days at room temperature.
Bengalis and the Odia of Odisha both consider rasgulla their own. India's GI registry issued "Banglar Rasogolla" in November 2017 and "Odisha Rasagola" in July 2019; the word "rasgulla" itself is not protected as a generic name (SpicyIP, 2019).
Why it matters to you. The mark "Banglar Rasogolla" applies only to sweets from West Bengal, while "rasgulla" without a qualifier is a generic word. These are dairy sweets with sugar and about 37% carbohydrates, so they are best eaten in moderation.
Facts
| Country | India (West Bengal) and Bangladesh |
|---|---|
| Registered | Banglar Rasogolla — November 2017; Odisha Rasagola — July 2019 1 |
| Temperature | Boiling the balls in 50–60 °Brix syrup, 20–25 min 2 |
| Duration | Mishti doi sets in 1–2 days 3 |
How it connects to milk
🧑🤝🧑 Bengalis ← among ← 🐄 Cow → gives → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Where they live
- 🌍 South Asia
- Traditional products
- 🥣 Dahi, ⚪ Rasgulla
- Traditions
- 🧀 Chhena
- Dairy animals
- 🐄 Cow
Frequently asked questions
What is mishti doi?
A sweet yogurt: milk is boiled with sugar (up to 10%), poured into small clay pots and mixed with a starter from the previous batch; it sets in 1–2 days (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2023).
What is rasgulla made from?
From chhena, a fresh cows' milk cheese: balls of 10 g are rolled from it and boiled for 20–25 minutes in sugar syrup of 50–60 °Brix (Heliyon, 2020).
Whose rasgulla is it, Bengal's or Odisha's?
Both sides consider it their own. India has registered two geographical indications: "Banglar Rasogolla" (November 2017) and "Odisha Rasagola" (July 2019).
Is it true that the word "rasgulla" is protected by a geographical indication?
No. Only the qualified names "Banglar Rasogolla" and "Odisha Rasagola" are protected; the generic name is not protected by the registry (SpicyIP, 2019).
What sugar syrup concentration is used for rasgulla?
50–60 °Brix for boiling and 30–40 °Brix for holding the balls afterwards (Heliyon, 2020).
Similar
🧑🤝🧑 Odia · 🧑🤝🧑 Marathi · 🧑🤝🧑 Gujaratis · 🧑🤝🧑 Indians · 🧑🤝🧑 Punjabis · 🧑🤝🧑 Maasai
ℹ️ This page describes the people only through food: what they grow and make, and which foods and drinks matter in their traditions. History, language, religion and other parts of the culture are not covered here.
What it includes
- Traditional products
- Dairy animals
Sources
- SpicyIP. Banglar Rasogolla v. Odisha Rasagola: Deciphering the Real Win (2019)
- Dairy rasgulla (sweetened cheese ball) fortified with pineapple: vitamins, organic acids and carotenes. Heliyon, 2020
- Sessou P. et al. Comparative analyses of the bacterial communities in the spontaneously fermented milk products of Northeast India and West Africa. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2023