Gulab Jamun Urdu: گلاب جامن; Hindi: गुलाब जामुन) (gool-aab jaa-mun) or gulab jambu is a popular North Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Gujarati and Punjabi sweet dish made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids (often including double cream and flour) in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom seeds and rosewater or saffron. In Hindi, the word Gulab means rose and Jamun is a tropical fruit found in India that is purple violet in color, and colors tongue in dark purple color once eaten. The sugar syrup used in it has rose water added and thus it smells like rose, and the shape of gulab jamun is mainly like Jamun, thus it has been given this name.

A similar Arabic dessert is luqmat al-qadi (Arabic for judge’s bread). Like the South Asian gulab jamun, rosewater syrup is often used; however saffron syrup and honey are also common.

Consumption Customs

Gulab Jamun is most often eaten as a dessert, and usually eaten at festivals or major celebrations, such as marriages and Diwali (the Indian festival of light).

Variants

Gulab Jamun gets is brownish red color because of the sugar content in the milk powder or Khawa. In other types of Gulab Jamun, sugar is added in dough, and after frying the sugar caramelization gives it dark, almost black color, and thus is called Kala Jamun (black gulab jamun).

Possible Influence & Legacy

Gulab Jamun could be related to the tangyuan and the chè xôi nước desserts of China and Vietnam, respectively. It is also similar to the Greek dessert loukoumas.