Desserts, usually a sweet dish, is the final course of a meal. It could be a biscuit, cake, ice cream, pie, or any other sweet dish, or a beverage, fruit juice, fruit salad, or liqueur. In certain cultures, there is no concept of having a dessert after a meal. Of course, there may not be any province in the world where sweets are not relished. Not all may like to have them along with a meal.

Dessert is popular in English-speaking countries, like the U.S., Canada, and Australia. It’s also popular in Western cultures.

The expression ‘dessert’ traces its origins to the French word desservir, which means ‘to serve’ or to ‘clear the table.’ In French courts, it was originally known as ‘le fruit.’ It was renamed ‘dessert’ by that country’s middle class.

Dessert rooms, however, existed in ancient cultures too. These included ancient India, Mesopotamia, and China. People offered sweets to the gods. Because sugar was derived from sugarcane after its refinement in India, making desserts and other sweets began as a practice there. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, sugar became cheap. That is the reason desserts became popular with Europe’s upper classes. Dessert rooms became accessible to the common man by the late 19th century.

However, standalone sweets have been consumed since ancient times across the world. A dish made of honey and fruits was said to be the first of the desserts.

Therefore, desserts made their presence known only after sugar became universally available. They gained popularity in Europe after the Industrial Revolution. In America, technological innovations made it possible to process and preserve them. It then became possible to sell them in canned and packaged forms.

Desserts gain acceptance worldwide  

Various types and styles of desserts are now available in diverse tastes and forms. They depend on the preferences of the people consuming them. In Western cultures, popular desserts include cakes, puddings, and chocolates. They also include candies, pastries, ice cream, sweet soups, and liqueurs.

In Russia and Ukraine, they are available as sweet pancakes, like Blintzes or Oladies. In the Netherlands, it is available as Vla, a custard-like dish. In Central America and South America, dishes that are popular as desserts are rice pudding, sponge cakes, dumplings, or puddings.

In the U.S., popular desserts include ice cream, pies, and doughnuts. In the Middle East, Khabees, a sweet dish of flour and oil, is popular. It’s enjoyed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Meanwhile, Ube Halaya, made from ube, condensed milk, butter, sugar, and coconut milk, is an adored dessert in the Philippines.

The dessert of Myanmar is Shwe Yin Aye, which is made from coconut milk. Red Bean Soup, also known as Hong dou tang, is famous in China, Vietnam, and Korea. On the other hand, pineapple cake is popular in Taiwan. In Japan, Mochi, a frozen dessert made from rice flour and red bean paste, enjoys widespread consumption.

Admired desserts in India

There are various types of desserts in India. They are generically known as ‘mithais’ and differ from one region to the other.   

In North India, popular desserts include Kheer, a rice pudding; Kulfi, a type of ice cream; Lassi, made from yogurt; Phirni, a pudding with condensed milk; and Laddu, made from gram flour.

In East India, popular desserts include:

• Rasgulla is a cheese and sugar dumpling.
• Sandesh, a sweet made from cheese, molasses, and sugar.
• Malapua, made from fennel seeds, yogurt, and grain flour.
• Cham Cham is made from flour, cream, and saffron.
• Rabri is prepared from sweetened milk.

In South India, the most liked desserts are:

1. Kesari Baat is made from ghee, sugar, and semolina.
2. Tirunelveli halwa, made from ghee, wheat flour, nuts, and cardamom.
3. Mysore pak, made from gram flour, ghee, and sugar.
4. Payasam, a variant of North India’s kheer.
5. Sheer korma, made from vermicelli, milk, and pudding.
6. Pongal is made from rice, jaggery, and cashews.
7. Obattu, also called Bobatlu, Boli, Paapu polelu, or Holige, is made from wheat flour, jaggery, and chana dal.

West India has great desserts. They are Puran poli, made from wheat flour, jaggery, and gram. Modak is made from rice flour and coconut-jaggery stuffing. Basundi contains sugar and milk. While Kaju Katli is made from cashews and ghee.

Apart from these, desserts famous all over India are Laddu, Peda, made of sugar and milk, Kheer, Barfi, made from milk powder, Halwa, etc.

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