Dessert Delight

Food add meaning to every celebration but desserts make our celebration delightful. “No matter how much you eat, there’s always room for dessert. Dessert doesn’t go to the stomach, it goes to the heart” – it’s true!

Coming from an Indian family, I’ve often heard the famous words, “khane ke baad kuch meetha ho jae” after every big meal. We always make room for dessert. Dessert can be chocolaty, fruity, light or rich depending on the country you are in. 

I am not going to lie desserts invite a lot of calories but are perfect key for our locked taste buds… I still remember my grandmother saying that desserts help with digestion and reactivate the taste buds. Well, if something satisfies your hunger without much harm, we can enjoy them occasionally... can't we?

Desserts have their own special names in different parts of the world: for Indians, it’s Meetha, for Americans, it’s pies, for Koreans, it’s Chapssal-tteok, for the Chinese, it’s Tang, for the Japanese, it’s Wagashi, and for the French, it’s Mille Feuille.

Let us read some interesting facts about desserts:

1. The word dessert comes from the French word ‘desservir’, meaning to clear the table.

2. In 1840 Queen Victoria’s weeding cake was covered in pure white cream which set the trend for white wedding cakes.

3. With the changing lifestyles we prefer to avoid sugar, but in the 16th century sugar sculptures and candies were markers of wealth and status. A sugar sculpture made by a famous confectioner could cost as much as an average person’s yearly wage.

4. Lady Anne Fanshawe had written the first printed ice-cream recipe in Europe which was a part of a medical and cookery manuscript, in 1651-78. Her recipe titled To make Icy Cream suggests the addition of orange flower water.

5. Traditionally desserts are served at the end of the meal to signify its completion, but in south India people eat mouthful of dessert before the savory meal so that as desserts make our taste buds ingest the sweetness, in the same way life would also let us experience sweet things and memories.

6. Sugar aids in digestion thus the concept of desserts came into being. It was believed that sugar could preserve fruits it could also protect humans.

Foodie mantra readers must be passionate about trying different flavours for their tastebuds. But have you ever wondered that being foodie if you miss the top desserts of the world wouldn’t it be regretful!

Apple Pie and cheese cake: Although Cheese cakes are available in different corners of the world, but I want you to taste the best one, which are from New York. Cheese cakes are creamy smooth desserts consisting of many layers. Each layer is filled with fresh soft cheese, sugar, and eggs, with a base usually made of crushed biscuits or cake. They are served with the toppings of fruit, whipped cream, nuts, biscuits, fruit flavoured syrups or chocolate sauce. Junior's Cheesecake sells the most famous New York cheesecakes and arguably is the most iconic spot for cheesecake lovers in New York City since 1950. It is in the city Perdizes.

Brigadeiro, Egypt:

According to food experts this dessert consists powdered chocolate, condensed milk and butter eaten directly or moulded into individual balls with chocolate sprinkles, coconut flakes, chopped nuts or powdered sugar covering the outer layer.

Picarones, Peru

It is a famous Peruvian dessert made of sweet potato, local squash, flour, yeast, sugar and anise. Deep fried Picarones are served with cane syrup called chancaca. They are also popular as doughnut which many of us must be aware of… Picarones Mary is the famous restaurant in Lima which serves Picarones in Peru. According to food experts the restraint sells 3000 picarones daily (Isn’t it a huge number).

Banoffee, UK

Banoffee pie is a famous English dessert that often includes coffee and chocolate. Banoffee blends different flavours so as its name which comes from blend of the words banana and toffee together. Whipped London- Dessert Coffee and Teashop in Covent Garden, London serves the worlds famous Banoffee.

Churros, Spain 

Churros are Spanish doughnuts and were originally the size of bread sticks. It is a dough of thin pastry served with dips like hot chocolate. Chocolatería San Ginés in Madrid Spain prepares world’s best Churros. This is also famous for serving food in eco-friendly way.

Baklava, Turkey:

This is the world’s famous Turkish dessert made of a large number of thin layers of flour dough with filling of nuts, held together with a sugary syrup or honey. Hafiz Mustafa situated in Istanbul Turkey prepares the best Baklava in the world. It was awarded as the best serving restaurant in Istanbul in year 2023. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have the best food with best services…

Baklava is known as the ancestor of the strudel. National Baklava Day is celebrated on the 17th of November each year.

Mochi, Japan:  

Traditional Japanese dessert of the Japanese New Year. This is short grain japonica glutinous rice that is first pounded into a paste and then moulded into different shapes. Different fillings like red bean paste, white bean paste, strawberries or different flavoured ice creams make this dessert savoury! Mochi Gekko in Japan is the place to taste the authentic savoury flavour beloved by the Japanese in Tokyo. Their specialty is called donburi mochi, featuring fresh, handmade mochi that is topped with soy sauce, katsuo flakes, and dried seaweed.

Pavlova and Lamingtons, Australia and New Zealand –

This famous dessert is made of square sponge cakes that are dipped in chocolate sauce and then covered with dissected coconut; Lamingtons are a popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand. available in different flavours like strawberry and lemon. They are also available with a layer of cream or strawberry jam in between the cake. Pavlova has a crispy crust and is light and soft on the inside. It is often served with various fruit toppings and whipped cream. Tony’s Steakhouse in Auckland New Zealand serves Kiwi classic Pavlova they smash up their pav so all the separate elements come together in a new way. Their setup is like cinema hall.

#July 21st is celebrated as National Lamington Day in Australia each year.

Basbuosa, Egypt:

It is a cake made of semolina, soaked in syrup. Basbousa is a delicious traditional Egyptian dessert. The syrup is often flavoured with orange flower water or rose water. Coconut, pistachios and whipped cream are some of the different additions added while serving this rich and moist cake. El Abd Pastryin the city of Cairo Egypt serves world’s best basbuosa in Egypt. This is famous sweet pastry and ice cream spot in Cairo.

Gulab jamun and Rasmalai, India: Gulab Jamun consists of two terms Gulab in Persian rose and jamun in Hindi is for a South Asian fruit similar in size to the Gulab Jamun dessert. The dessert is made of dough of milk solids, flour, sooji and garnished with dried nuts to enhance its flavour. The balls of dough are deep-fried and then dipped in sweet syrup made with cardamom, rose water, and saffron. A vendor Maigalganj in Uttar Pradesh is hotspot for gulab jamun in India which sold in matkas. Other shops were opened nearby and Maigalganj came to be known as Gulab jamun street. More than 100 shops here follow the original recipe of ‘matka gulab jamun’

“Ras malai” comes from the two Hindi words “Ras” meaning “juice” and “Malai” meaning “cream”. It is often called as a rich cheesecake without a crust. It is an Indian dessert of cheese dumplings that are soaked in cardamom flavoured creamy milk. Rasmalai is the famous dish of West Bengal. Kolkata KC Das, Easplande East serves the best rasmalai of the world.

I would love to share an anecdote. When I was 10, I went for an outing with my uncle, while passing by a famous sweet shop named Nutkhut in my hometown Bokaro we halted there to eat something. There was a creamy stuff under the glass topped with saffron, uncle patted my finger above that to get it and I preferred kaju katli over it. When we had started eating I asked my uncle to let me taste which was served to him. The moment I put its part in my mouth I was amazed by its taste, later I didn’t allow my uncle to have even a bite of it though he liked it the most. When he went to get another the owner replied’ Sorry bhaiya that was the last one’.

Conclusion

Desserts are like soul food. They give you a glimpse of heaven and keep you coming back for more.  I know that our satire for eating doesn’t end here so move ahead and let your stomach be filled with sweet flavours of different desserts and also mention your best dessert in the comments that make your meal complete.