Bal Mithai

Bal Mithai
Bal Mithai from Almora, India
Place of origin India
Region or state Kumaon, Uttarakhand (India)
Main ingredients Khoya, cane sugar, white sugar

Bal Mithai (Hindi: बाल मिठाई) is a brown chocolate-like fudge, made with roasted khoya, coated with white sugar balls, and is a popular sweet from Almora in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India, especially regions around Almora.It is one of the most favourite sweet of common people and the people living near almora region.

History

Bal Mithai was an invention of Lala Joga Ram Sah of Lala Bazar, Almora during early twentieth century.[1] Scholars believe that the Bal Mithai initially must have been the name of the prime offering to the Sun God.[1] Over the years, the sweet has found home in many Kumaoni stories and folklore, arising from the milieu of Kumaon, as evident from the memoirs of noted Hindi writer.

Recipe

Bal Mithai is made by cooking khoya (evaporated milk cream) with cane sugar, until it becomes dark brown in color, colloquially called "chocolate" for its color resemblance. This is allowed to settle and cool, and cut into cubes which are then garnished with small white sugar balls.[2]

Popularity

Bal Mithai has long been a specialty of the Almora district,[3] and neighbouring Kumaon Hills, along with another local delicacy, Singhauri, which is another preparation of flavoured khoya, and comes wrapped in oak leaves.

Geographical Indications Protection for Baal Mithai

There has been a recent move to make local sweet makers aware of Intellectual Property Rights, and Geographical Indications Protection (GI Protection) under, ‘The Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999’, which would allow them to patent local delicacies of Baal Mithai and Singhauri, which are symbolic to the region.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Pant, Rajshekhar (4 January 2016). "The Sweet Tooth Of Kumaon". The Citizen. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Cuisines - Recipes Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine. Official website of Bageshwar district.
  3. ↑ Almora www.journeymart.com.
  4. ↑ Intellectual Property Rights Camp on GI Protection for ‘Baal Mithai’ & ‘Singhauri’ WTO-IPR, Bulletin, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Volume 6– Issue 2: March – April, 2007.
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