Bengal entrepreneurs add tulsi and stevia to rosogolla, turn their passion into a wellness business.
A COMPARATIVELY young breed of entrepreneurs in West Bengal is taking the state’s iconic dish Rosogolla to a whole new sweet level. These men, some of whom have quit their fancy white-collar jobs to pursue their passion for sweets, have innovated the dish to attract a rather elusive group—the health-conscious and the weight watchers.
The traditional Rosogollas, which recently acquired the Geographical Index (GI) tag, are white, spongy, luscious cheese balls that remain soaked in sugary syrup. “But many, particularly the youth, remain wary of Rosogollas’ sugar content due to concerns like diabetes and obesity,” says Sitangshu Roy, one of the entrepreneurs, sitting in the 60-year-old Satyanarayan Mistanna Bhandar in Singur town in Hooghly district. Sitangshu has inherited the sweet shop from his great-grandfather. “This prompted me and my two brothers to innovate a healthy alternative that people can gorge on without guilt,” he adds.
In 2014, Sitangshu’s brother Abhishek quit his job at Infosys in Bengaluru “to reinvent and expand” the family business. The two brothers, in their early 30s, also involved their third brother Arunangshu, 22, to create tulsi Rosogollas—light green balls with the therapeutic values of holy basil and the sweetening from stevia leaves that cuts the calorie intake by half. Abhishek says, the sweet is “as delectable as original Rosogollas”.
However, creating this unique product was not easy. A lot of research went into maintaining the pH balance of the cottage cheese (derived by curdling milk with lemon juice) that imparts the right mix of taste and health, and prepare the proportion of tulsi leaf residue and its filtrate that need to be added to the sweet.
この記事は Down To Earth の January 16, 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Down To Earth の January 16, 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
