Ledikeni facts for kids

Ledikeni (Bengali: লেডিকেনি) is a yummy Indian sweet that's popular in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. It's a light, reddish-brown fried ball of sweet goodness. It's made from a special cheese called Chhena and flour, then soaked in sweet sugar syrup. Ledikeni gets its name from Lady Canning. She was the wife of Charles Canning, who was the Governor General of India from 1856 to 1862.

The Story Behind Ledikeni

This delicious sweet was first made in Kolkata around the mid-1800s. There are a few fun stories about how Ledikeni came to be.

A Sweet for Lady Canning

The most popular story says that a famous sweet maker named Bhim Chandra Nag created a special sweet. He made it to honor Lady Canning. She was in India from 1856 until she passed away in 1861.

Some versions of the story say the sweet was made to celebrate her first visit to India in 1856. Other versions claim it was made for her birthday. Some even say it became her favorite dessert, and she asked for it all the time!

Another Legend

Another story suggests that sweet makers in Baharampur created the sweet in 1857. This was after a big event called the mutiny. They made it to celebrate a visit from Governor General Canning and his wife.

How Ledikeni Became Famous

Lady Canning passed away in 1861. After that, this sweet became super popular in Bengal. No big party or feast was complete without offering this special sweet to guests.

People say the sweet maker earned a lot of money selling it. Some even think its popularity came more from its famous name than just its taste. As it became more well-known, people started calling it "Lady Canning." Over time, this name slowly changed into "Ledikeni," which is what we call it today!

An Ancient Connection

Did you know there was a sweet similar to Ledikeni a long, long time ago? A text from the 12th century, written in Sanskrit, mentions a sweet. It was like modern Ledikeni or pantua, but it was made from rice flour.