Ledikeni

Ledikeni (Bengali: লেডিকেনি) or Lady Kenny is a popular Indian sweet from West Bengal, India. It is a light fried reddish-brown sweet ball made of Chhena and flour and soaked in sugar syrup. Ledikeni is named after Lady Canning, the wife of Charles Canning, the Governor-General of India during 1856-62.

History

The sweet originated in Kolkata in the middle of the 19th century. There are various legends regarding the origin of the sweet. According to the most popular legend, a special sweetmeat was prepared by Bhim Chandra Nag in the honour of Lady Canning at some point during her stay in India from 1856 till her death in 1861.[1] In some versions of the tale, the sweetmeat was prepared to commemorate her visit to India in 1856, while in other versions, it was prepared on the occasion of her birthday.[1] Some variations of the tale state that it became her favourite dessert, which she would demand on every occasion.[2] According to yet another legend, the sweet was prepared by the confectioners of Baharampur in 1857, after the mutiny, to commemorate the visit by Canning and his wife.[1]

Lady Canning died in 1861. Since then the sweetmeat has gained immense popularity in Bengal. No grand feast was considered complete if the sweetmeat was not offered to the guest.[2] The manufacturer was said to have made a lot of money by selling the sweetmeat although some have claimed that its popularity is due to the name rather than the taste.[3][4] As it gained popularity, the sweetmeat came to be known as "Lady Canning" which gradually got corrupted to "ledikeni".

A sweet very similar to the modern pantua and ledikeni, but made of rice flour, is mentioned in the 12th century Sanskrit-language text Manasollasa.[5]

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See also

References
  1. Krondl, Michael; Rath, Eric; Mason, Laura; Quinzio, Geraldine; Heinzelmann, Ursula (1 April 2015). The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199313624. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  2. Krondl, Michael (2011). Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago Review Press. pp. 67–70. ISBN 9781556529542. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  3. Bose, Shib Chunder (1883). The Hindoos as they are: A description of the manners, customs, and inner life of Hindoo Society in Bengal (2 ed.). Calcutta: Thacker, Spink and Co. p. 51.
  4. Krondl, Michael (2010). "The Sweetshops of Kolkata". Gastronomica. 10 (3): 58. doi:10.1525/gfc.2010.10.3.58.
  5. Michael Krondl (2011). Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago Review Press. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-1-55652-954-2.
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