Gulgula – A Favourite Sweetmeat Among Guyanese

One of the things that many Guyanese of all ethnicities look forward to during Hindu celebrations is the sweetmeats. Sweetmeats are the sugary delicacies like mitthai, prasad, sweet rice, peera which are prepared during festivals and various religious functions. Gulgula is one of the most delicious sweetmeats here in Guyana. Some Guyanese may know this delicacy as gula gula or sweet pholourie.  Gulgula originated in India where is also known as gulgule and pua. Gulgula popular all over the world where it is made by Indians in countries like Guyana, Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, South Africa.

Gulgula – Photo By Miansari66 – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21281252

What is Gulgula?

Gulgula is a traditional sweet of India with simple ingredients like flour, baking powder, yeast, sugar, and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Jaggery is the traditional sweetener in Gulgula and sometimes, raisins, currants or mashed, ripe bananas even yogurt are added to elevate the taste of the dish. Gulgulas are fried in ghee oil, just like donuts. In fact, they also called Indian mini donuts.

History of Gulgula

The mention of the gulgula sweetmeat was first noted in Pasanaha Cariu (Parshvanath Charit) of Vibudh Shridhar of 1132 AD which was written during the rule of Tomara rule in Delhi, just before the establishment of the Chauhan rule. Gulgula is a common snack in parts of India like Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. There are similar foods to Gulgula around the world. The fried donuts in America are similar to it while in South Africa, Gulgula is unsweetened and eaten with salt, pepper and ketchup. Sometimes Gulgulas are covered in chocolate or dusted with powdered sugar.

Interesting Tips

• Gulgula is also an Indian surname.
• Bananas were added to stretch the batter in India.

How To Make Gulgula

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed essence
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• handful raisins
• oil for frying

Optional: chopped cherries

Method

1. Peel and mash bananas in a large bowl, until smooth
2. Add sugar, spices, essence.
3. Mix in well then set aside.
4. In another bowl, add flour and baking powder.
5. Stir flour into banana mixture, and mix thoroughly.
6. Fold in the desired amount of raisins or chopped maraschino
7. cherries. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes.
8. Heat a deep pot with enough oil to fry gulgula.
9. Use two small spoons to shape batter and drop into hot oil and fry until dark brown.
10. Drain and allow to cool.
11. And lastly, eat up!

Gulgula – Oven Baked

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups All purpose flour
• 2 ripe bananas – mashed
• 1 medium apples – pealed and grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 11 tbsp or 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbsp 1% milk

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and let it sit for 1-2 minutes.
2. Then Mix again with a whisk.
3. Preheat the oven at 375 F (190 C).
4. Grease a cupcake pan with butter.
5. Fill batter halfway into molds.
6. Bake the batter for 15-20 minutes.
7. After about fifteen (15) minutes use a toothpick to check if the muffins are done.
8. If they are done, remove from heat and leave to cool.
9. Enjoy!

Interesting Tip

• Once the Gulgulas are done baking, they will fall out easily from the pan.

Watch This! – Gulgula (Banana/Fig Fritters) | Dessert | Taste of Trini

Gulgula in Guyana

While Gulgula may not be the most famous sweetmeats in Guyana, but many persons look forward to having them for various festivals and holidays. Whether you have a religious function or just want to satisfy your sweet tooth Gulgulas are always a good choice. It calls for simple ingredients like flour, sugar and bananas yet produces a wondrous creation.

Article References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulgula_(doughnut)
• https://www.epersianfood.com/gulgula/
• http://foodeeva.blogspot.com/2014/10/baked-gulgulepuapuepooda-sweet-dumplings.html

Last updated: 2020-07-01