Petha
Encyclopedia
Petha is a translucent soft candy
from North India. Usually in the shape of rectangular or cylindrical pieces, it is made from the ash gourd
vegetable (also known as winter melon or white pumpkin, or simply petha in Hindi and Urdu).
With growing demand and perhaps innovations, more and more varieties of the original preparation are available. Many flavoured variants are available, e.g. Kesar Petha, Angoori Petha etc. There are some other variations based on content, one with coconut mixed, another with some nuts put into it. Sometimes kewda essence is used to flavor petha.
, to create the translucent, almost clear sweet. Petha is usually flavored with rose water. The water is then either drained, leaving a dry dish, or it is served or sold with some of the rose-flavored syrup that it has been prepared in. In the dry form it can be packaged and has a fairly long shelf life, though it can also be canned with the syrup and sold around the world.
Petha from Agra
(आगरे का पेठा, آگرے کا پیٹھہ, Agrey ka petha) is one of the most famous varieties. Some business houses like Pakshi raj, Panchchi, Pracheen and GopalDas are making and selling petha for decades now.
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
from North India. Usually in the shape of rectangular or cylindrical pieces, it is made from the ash gourd
Winter melon
The winter melon, also called white gourd, ash gourd, or "fuzzy melon", is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten...
vegetable (also known as winter melon or white pumpkin, or simply petha in Hindi and Urdu).
With growing demand and perhaps innovations, more and more varieties of the original preparation are available. Many flavoured variants are available, e.g. Kesar Petha, Angoori Petha etc. There are some other variations based on content, one with coconut mixed, another with some nuts put into it. Sometimes kewda essence is used to flavor petha.
Preparation
Pumpkin is peeled and the seeds removed. It is then boiled in a sugar syrup, called chaashniChashni
Chashni is the generic name in North Indian, Pakistani, Nepali and Afghan languages for a sugary syrup. The syrup is usually thin enough to allow some swirling, and can have several flavors incorporated in it, such as rose or saffron.-Etymology:The origin of the word is unclear...
, to create the translucent, almost clear sweet. Petha is usually flavored with rose water. The water is then either drained, leaving a dry dish, or it is served or sold with some of the rose-flavored syrup that it has been prepared in. In the dry form it can be packaged and has a fairly long shelf life, though it can also be canned with the syrup and sold around the world.
Petha from Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
(आगरे का पेठा, آگرے کا پیٹھہ, Agrey ka petha) is one of the most famous varieties. Some business houses like Pakshi raj, Panchchi, Pracheen and GopalDas are making and selling petha for decades now.