Most Popular Desserts From Andhra Pradesh That Ooze Deliciousness

Andhra Pradesh, well known for its spicy and savory cuisine, is also home to a variety of desserts. Made for several years, with their recipes passed down from one generation to the next, these sweets make an appearance at weddings, festivals, religious ceremonies and other gatherings and are enjoyed by people of all ages. These dishes have distinct appearances, flavors, textures and tastes—all together exhibiting the variety of desserts the state has to offer. While some desserts are found all over the country with different names in different states, and others are so unique to Andhra that they have a GI tag. So keep these dishes in mind and treat your tongue whenever you visit the state.

Ariselu

This dessert is made by combining rice flour and with jaggery, cardamom powder and ghee. The dough is rolled into thin circles and then deep fried until crispy, much like the sweet puri. It's often eaten during the makar sankranti festival, among other special events like weddings. It's also called arisa and is known by many different names across the country: in Karnataka, it's called kajjaya; in Tamil Nadu, it's adhirasam; Neyyappam in Kerala; Anarsain Maharashtra; and it is called anarsa in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Bobbatlu

To make this dessert, a mixture of chana dal, jaggery and cardamom powder is stuffed inside a dough made of flour, water and ghee. The stuffed dough is then rolled out and cooked until golden brown. One of Andhra’s most famous desserts, it is often found in Andhra Pradesh during diwali and other festivals. It's a dessert that’s famous all over the country, with varying names too. It is called puran poli in Maharashtra, holige in Karnataka, puran puri in Gujarat, payasabolli in Kerala, boli in Tamil Nadu and ubbatti in the Konkan area.

Pootharekulu

Another famous dessert, this one is made by combining rice flour, sugar and jaggery. The rice starch is shaped into a thin wafer-like shape and placed as the base, on which layers of sugar, jaggery and ghee are added. These are then rolled up and roasted until crispy. In Telugu, pootha means ‘coating’ and reku is ‘sheet’, and it literally means coated sheet. It originates from Atreyapuram, a coastal town in Andhra, where it’s made by 400 families. The whole town depends on the sweet to earn a livelihood. It is shared with loved ones during holidays and other special occasions and Andhra also has a GI tag for the dish.

Sunnundalu

This is a crunchy treat, sometimes also called urad dal laddoo or sunni vunda. To make it, urad dal is roasted until golden brown and then heated jaggery and ghee are combined with it. The mixture is shaped into small spheres and then set aside to cool. It’s a healthy dessert and often enjoyed as a midday snack, especially being served to kids.

Khaja

This flaky, layered dessert is made by creating layers of flour dough, which is then doused in sugar syrup and deep fried until crispy. It's found at street stalls and is also served at weddings and other special occasions. It's one of those desserts that’s found in other states besides Andhra but each state prepares it slightly differently.

Chandrakala

This is a famous Andhra treat where chandra means moon and it’s shaped like a crescent or full moon. It’s made with maida, khoya and sugar syrup. The dough is rolled into a circle, stuffed with the khoya and sugar syrup mixture and then sealed into the crescent shape or as a circle. It's then cooked until golden brown and often topped with nuts or other toppings. It's commonly found during diwali and other festivals and other important occasions.

Bandar laddoo

With a unique name, this laddoo is delicious and holds the same place in Andhra that the besan laddoo holds in north India. It's also called the thokkudu laddoo and is made of besan, sugar and ghee. It is soft and gooey, easy to bite into and filling when eaten. Although the laddoo is enjoyed all over the state, it's especially famous in Machilipatnam, a coastal town in the Krishna district, where it's also enjoyed on birthdays and other special occasions. Andhra also has a GI tag for the dessert.