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Laddu

Tray of Laddus
Origin
Place of origin	India
Details
Course	Dessert, snack
Main ingredient(s)	Flour, milk, sugar
Variations	Gram flour, rava
Other information	Served on festive or religious occasions

Laddus packed for a wedding

Laddu

Laddu or Laddoo (Telugu:లడ్డు, Malayalam: ലഡ്ഡു "laddu" Marathi: लाडू laadu, kannada:ಲಾಡು laaDu, Hindi: लड्डू; Urdu: لڈو, Tamil:லட்டு) is a ball-shaped sweet popular in South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh as well as countries with immigrants from South Asia. Laddu is made of flour and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. It is often served at festive or religious occasions.

Origins[link]

Laddu comes from the Sanskrit word transliterated as ladduka or lattika meaning a small ball.

Composition[link]

Common flours used for laddu include besan (chickpea flour), rava (wheat semolina) and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape. Some laddu recipes are prepared using Ayurvedic medicinal ingredients, including methi laddu and resin laddu.

Use[link]

Laddu is often prepared for festivals or family events such as weddings and births, or given as a prasad at Hindu temples. In Maharashtrian cuisine, there are traditional recipes for laddu intended as travel provisions (Marathi: तहान लाडू, भूक लाडू).

Cultural references[link]

In the Sesame Street episode "Rakhi Road", laddus are featured prominently as a favoured Indian dessert. Elmo is shown making laddus and enjoying eating them as part of the celebrations around the Indian festival of Rakhi.^[1]

Andhra Laddu holds the Guinness Book of World Records.A huge laddu of 5,570 kg prepared during recent Ganesh festival in the State entered the Guinness Book of World Records^[2][3]

See also[link]

Laddu - given as prasad

• Indian sweets

References[link]

External links[link]

• Laddu Recipes
• How to make Laddu