 Pantua served in a bowl | |
| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Region or state | Bengal,Indian subcontinent |
| Associatedcuisine | India,Bangladesh |
| Main ingredients | Semolina,Chena, milk,ghee and sugar |
Pantua (Bengali:পান্তুয়া) is a local confection from theIndian subcontinent, notable inWest Bengal,Eastern India andBangladesh.[1] It is a traditional Bengalisweet made of deep-fried balls ofsemolina,chhena, milk,ghee and sugar syrup. Pantuas range in colour from pale brown to nearly black depending on how long they are fried.Rose water,cardamom or other flavourings are sometimes added to the sweet.
Pantua is very similar to the cheese-based fried sweetledikeni. The distinctive feature of ledikeni is its molten sugar syrup of lightly flavored cardamom powder.[2] The nameledikeni is a rendition of "Lady Canning" and was first used by confectioner Bhim Chandra Nag, when he renamed hispantuas specially prepared on the occasion of the birthday ofCountess Charlotte Canning, wife ofGovernor-GeneralCharles Canning.[3] A sweet very similar to the modern pantua and ledikeni, but made of rice flour, is mentioned in the 12th centurySanskrit-language textManasollasa.[4] Pantua is the Bengali analogue ofgulab jamun, a popular sweet in North India which itself was inspired byMughlai cuisine (a blend ofIndian andIranian cuisine).[1][5][6] However, gulab jamun is prepared fromkhoa and flavored withrose/gulab, while pantua is prepared fromchhena and mainly flavored withcardamom/elaichi.[7]
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