The Sweet Savory Saga of Kulfi

Indulge in the history of our all-time favorite dessert, Kulfi, which takes you on a journey through time. Each sentence is like thoughtfully plunging your spoon into a cup full of Kulfi, while reading the savory history of this dessert.

Kulfi projected in all its Awadhi beauty; Image Source: Google Images

Summer means indulgence in everything which keeps dryness and heat at bay. Afternoon in summer means looking for every air-conditioned nook which can save the skin from the intense humidity and when all the work is done in the summer evening people stroll through the lanes looking for ice snacks like Ice-cream, Ice-cups, and most importantly- Kulfi.

Kulfi traced back its origin way before any western dessert flooded the Indian cuisine. It is the royal dessert of the Persians which came into its frozen entity when refrigeration techniques were invented. Before that ice from the Himalayas was preserved in large slabs to freeze this dessert, taking it to warmer places throughout the country.

It is a known and accepted fact that colonization robbed people of their freedom and bought many other new things from their cultures that otherwise could never have seen the light of India. In this respect, Kulfi lovers in the country bless colonization, and thank the sun that set when Babur arrived in India and laid the foundations of the Mughal Empire. Though countries like India, Pakistan, Trinidad, and many countries in the Middle-east call Kulfi a part of their cuisine, it originally experimented in Samarkand, Persia.

Kulfi is lovingly called the traditional Indian Ice-cream though it differs in many aspects from its western counterpart. Unlike Ice-cream, Kulfi isn’t whipped but flavored milk is stirred on a low flame until its concentration is thickened, reducing the mass to half. This process caramelizes lactose, sugar, and whatever flavors are made to infuse with the mixture. Then the mixture is poured into conical clay cups called Kulhars and refrigerated until frozen. That’s how the resultant sweetened frozen dessert got its name, Kulfi, the Persian name for ‘Covered-cup’. The savory-sweet dessert stored in Kulhars is sometimes served with rosewater flavored vermicelli noodles called Falooda, making the whole lot called "Falooda Kulfi’.

With time this Persian dessert has transformed into a beautiful Indian self with flavors like cardamom, avocado, and pistachio centering the Kulfi domain. Despite all these, foreign yet simple dairy elements, what makes Kulfi more special is how earthy the whole Kulfi-making process is. The simple ingredients fused with the clay utensil seem to provide the unique taste which has captivated the hearts of so many people for centuries and in different countries.

Kulfi is said to have come into its actual identity as it is found today during the 16th century, as it is mentioned in Ain-I-Akbari that saltpeter was used to freeze the steaming Kulfi batter. During the reign of Akbar, India was not only advancing in many prospects but also found itself on the verge of many cultural and traditional elements which were a rich mixture of the Hindu and the Muslim culture, making something entirely new. And while these new cultural hybrids flooded the Indian Domain, the platter of Kulfi thrived, breaking the royal walls, it finally entered among the common masses, getting all the attention it deserved.

The list of such gifts of Colonization whether Mughal or British is immense and as time and knowledge of Indians increased they realized to what level such acceptance of the results of Colonization is healthy. But when it comes to the domain of food, India has gained a lot with the hybrids it has gained, which, with time has ended up being the identity of the country.

Kulfi today is a very common and favorite Indian street dessert delight, whether Summer or winter, its craving has become acceptable despite its very Persian name and over time so many alterations and experimentations have been tried with it that it can’t be said that it’s the same Kulfi which traveled from across the oceans from the royal kitchens of Samarkand. Whatever might be its story or background, there’s no denying the fact that we Indians love our Kulfi the way it is, with no inhibitions of any further doubt. Kulfi reigns and will reign forever, even though its origins have been relinquished with the dust of passing time.

Image source- Sweta Kitchen