Agra's Panchi Petha

If you go to Agra, you possibly cannot return without a pack of Panchi Petha with you! Panchi Petha is the famous sweet dish of Agra that everyone expects you to return with from your visit to Agra.

Petha, source: amazon.in

Made with patience, without hurry is the famous Petha of Agra.

The Petha is a Mughal creation. It originated in the Mughals' royal kitchen when Shah Jahan ordered to prepare a dish as pure and white as the Taj Mahal. This is how the Petha came into existence.

The ash gourd is washed, peeled, and cut into cubes. It is then soaked in limewater for an entire day and washed thoroughly so that no taste of it remains. The soft cubes are then pricked to make sure that the sugar syrup enters the cubes well. The cubes are boiled in water, while the sugar syrup is prepared with various flavors in it. Finally, the cubes are dipped into the sugar syrup, once covered well, it is kept to cool down and served!

Though the process may seem easy to follow, it needs a careful balance of timing and flavors. As said before, the Panchi Petha is the best Petha one could find in Agra- the one who takes care of the balance. However, once you land in Agra, you will find many shops of Panchi Petha lined up in front of you.

How do you differentiate the fake ones from the original?

It is always best to ask a local for help. In case you cannot, you are at the right place.

The authenticity of Panchi Petha can be felt the moment one enters the shop. You will be greeted with the fragrance of sweet syrup and many other flavors. The shop will also offer you pieces of every kind of Petha that they have. Angoori Petha, Kesar Petha, and of course the Original Petha- from where it all had started.

Why Panchi Petha, you ask? Seth Pancham Lal Goyal, popularly known as Panchi started Petha making when he was only 24 years old. At the age of 24, he had mastered the art of Petha-making with the right balance of flavours. This art was then passed on to the generations of the family. Thus, Panchi Petha not only holds the patent on Agra’s Petha, but also has the generational knowledge of Petha-making.

Now, Delhi, Lucknow, and Ghaziabad also have branches of Panchi Petha, however, buying it from Agra’s Sadar Bazar is an experience in itself!

Panchi Petha Store, source: The Hindu