Important Facts For Prelims
GI Tag for Odisha Rasagola
- 30 Jul 2019
- 2 min read
Odisha, has received the Geographical Indication tag (GI) from the Registrar of Geographical Indication.
- Odisha Rasagola is a sweet made of chhena (cottage cheese) cooked in sugar syrup using the principle of caramelisation of sugar (caramelization is the browning of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting sweet nutty flavor and brown colour).
- Odisha Rasagola is associated with world famous Puri Jagannath Temple.
- Both Odisha and West Bengal have been contesting the origin of the rasagola.
- West Bengal received GI tag for its variety of rasgulla in November 2017.
- The reference of rasagola is found in the late 15th-century Odia Ramayana written by Balaram Das.
- Balaram Das’s Ramayana is known as Dandi Ramayana or Jagamohana Ramayana as it was composed and sung at the Jagamohana of the Puri Temple.
- A religious script named “Ajodhya Kanda” gives elaborate descriptions of chhena and chhena‐based products including Rasagola.
- Famous Odia writer Fakir Mohan Senapati, in his writing Utkal Bhramanam (published on August 27, 1892 ) mentioned about the plentiful use of rasagola in Odisha during those days.
- ‘Bali Jatra’ a poem written by Damodar Pattanayak is an eye‐witness of Cuttack’s famous, historic fair, Bali Jatra (Journey to Bali Island of Indonesia) and mentioned that sweets shops were looking attractive in presence of Rasagola and other sweets.
- The first Odia product to receive a GI tag was Kandhamal Haldi, a type of turmeric produced by tribal farmers in the state's Kandhamal district.
