Looking back at Nolen Gur Sandesh, as it is bestowed with the GI tag

Adding another feather to the heritage cap of Bengal is the recently recognised GI tag on Nolen Gur Sandesh. Bestowed by the Department of Industry and Internal Trade at the Central Government, the Geographical Indication tag is a permanent territorial recognition for a particular item and this time it has come to Nolen Gur Sandesh from Kolkata. Made from date palm jaggery, which is best available during the winter months, these sweet treats is one of the most important items that define the culinary heritage of Bengal.

What is nolen gur and how did it blend with Sandesh?

Nolen gur is the jaggery extracted from the date-palm trees. According to history, centuries ago around Bardhaman, where the date-palm trees were in abundance, the community living there called Siulis had gained mastery over the art of jaggery extraction. The first factory for the commercial production and usage of nolen gur was constructed around 20^th century. Due to its deep caramelised flavour, Nolen Gur over the years started becoming an alternative to traditional sweeteners. In fact, when traditional sweet makers from Kolkata started out their search for alternatives, they stumbled upon nolen gur. This led to experimentation and trial and error method which ultimately gifted Bengal its Nolen Gur Sandesh, which is now a pivotal preparation at home or available in the markets especially during the winters when the jaggery is available in abundance.

Did you know that you can make Nolen Gur Sandesh at home?

Nolen Gur Sandesh was first popularised by heritage eateries like Dwarik’s, KC Das, Bhim Chandra Nag and today, most traditional and new eateries have a spread of Nolen Gur Sandesh during the season. But here’s a quick way by which you can make them at home too.

Ingredients:

·        Homemade cottage cheese – 500 gms

·        Nolen gur – 200 gms

·        Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp

·        Ghee – (Optional)

·        Nuts – (Optional)

Method:

·        Cut nolen gur into small pieces and melt. You may strain it once melted for a smooth liquid.

·        In a heavy bottom pan, add cottage cheese and melted nolen gur.

·        Cook till mixture thickens and comes together.

·        Add cardamom powder and continue stirring till it reached dough like consistency.

·        Grease your hand and shape the sandesh. You may also use silicon moulds to give it a desired shape. Top it up with chopped nuts if you like.

·        Store in fridge for a shelf-life of 3-5 days.

With evolution, Nolen Gur Sandesh is subject to several fusion desserts. Do you know some of them?

Of late, as the season arrives, one looks forward to not only Nolen Gur Sandesh but also a variety of fusion desserts which have the sandesh as its base. With its caramel-like flavour, it becomes very easy to curate experimental dishes, which over time become crowd favourite. From Nolen Gur Sandesh cheesecake to ice cream with a generous drizzle of the fresh-melted jaggery on top, to reinventing tiramisu, croissant and mousse, it has found home in several desserts and hopefully, many more to come in future.