Several cities and many dessert samplings behind me, I’ve tried a lot of dessert in my time. I have 2 clear favorites:
1) My mother’s apple pie. Hands down #1. It’s amazing.
2) Dulce de leche ice cream in Argentina… either plain or granizado (with chocolate pieces). Heavenly.
Since I’m spending 5 months in India, I decided to go on a quest for my favorite dessert in this exciting country. It’s a tough life, I tell ya.
Chennai has many sweet and tasty things to offer. Many of the traditional desserts here are gooey (halvah-like) or milk-based. I don’t easily say no when kindly coworkers and friends offer these to me, but I gotta be honest… they just don’t blow me away.
Though not specific to India, this one – a Chocolate Avalanche – was pretty fabulous. Chocolate brownies, chocolate marshmallows, chocolate ice cream, and syrup… yum! (For those worried about my arteries, don’t worry… I shared it with 2 friends)
The one below wasn’t “really tasty” despite the statement on the cup. I only made it through a few sips! Nonetheless, it deserves a shout-out. It’s a jigarthanda, a traditional sweet drink in the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. The name translates to heart cooler or cooling the heart (something like that). The recipe varies by restaurant and according to Wikipedia generally includes milk, sugar, syrup, ice cream, and China grass (?). Maybe that last one was the reason for the worm-like gooey things I didn’t like?
I ordered one 2 weeks ago at the same restaurant that had a lot more ice cream in it and tasted a bit like the dulce de leche I love so much. Evidently, there’s a difference between that version and the “special” jigarthanda I got yesterday. I’ll have to go back again and make sure I order the right thing… and take a picture!
And so, my quest for my favorite Indian dessert may be drawing to a close. Or maybe it’s just the beginning?
This post is part of the WanderFood Wednesday series. Here’s to having a sweet tooth!