From Mishti Doi To Sandesh: 8 Bengali Classic Desserts

Roshogolla: It is a soft, spongy white balls made from chhena (fresh curdled milk) and semolina, boiled in a light sugar syrup. It is spongy and juicy, absorbing syrup in every bite. It is claimed by both Bengal and Odisha and  the Bengali version is typically softer and whiter. It is served at festivals, weddings, and even offered to deities like Lakshmi. It was popularized in Kolkata by Nobin Chandra Das in the 19th century.

Mishti Doi: A traditional Bengali sweet yogurt made by fermenting thickened milk sweetened with caramelized sugar or jaggery. It is sweet, slightly tangy, with a caramel-like depth if jaggery is used. It is always chilled, typically in earthenware pots which help thicken and cool the yogurt naturally. It is an essential part of Bengali feasts and pujas.

Cham Cham are oval-shaped sweets made from chhena, cooked in sugar syrup, and often coated with grated coconut or stuffed with khoya (milk solids). It ranges from white to light brown or even colored (like pink or yellow). The texture is dense but soft, less spongy than Rasgulla.

Pantua are deep-fried balls made from chhena and semolina, soaked in sugar syrup — similar to gulab jamun but made from fresh chhena. The texture is crispy outside, syrupy and soft inside and flavor is richer than Rasgulla due to frying. Ledikeni, named after Lady Canning, a British governor’s wife.

Shor Bhaja: It is a rare and rich sweet made by layering and frying thick sheets of cream (malai), then soaking them in syrup and texture is crispy, chewy, and syrupy, all at once. It requires repeated boiling of milk to collect the cream layers. It is a luxury Sweet usually handmade and less commercially available.

Sitabhog: It is a unique sweet made from fine rice flour and chhena, shaped like rice grains and vermicelli, often mixed with small gulab jamuns. The flavor is mildly sweet, with a combination of textures and color is often white with saffron or yellow tint. Its origin is specialty of Bardhaman district in West Bengal. And also served to Lord Curzon during his visit to Bengal in 1904.

Sandesh: It is a light, fudge-like sweet made from kneaded chhena and sugar or jaggery, sometimes flavored with saffron, cardamom, or rosewater. Sandesh variants are Nolen Gur Sandesh – Made with date palm jaggery (winter favorite), Kora Pak Sandesh – Firmer, shaped into decorative pieces, Abar Khabo – A richer, layered version created for a famous gourmand patron and the texture is smooth, creamy, and sometimes slightly grainy depending on the preparation.

Kheer Kadam: It is a two-layered sweet where a mini rasgulla is coated in thickened milk (khoya) and rolled in powdered sugar. A bite offers a contrast of soft rasgulla and grainy khoya and it looks like a small white ball, often mistaken for a peda until bitten into.