After winning a sticky skirmish with Odisha over the syrupy white rosogolla, West Bengal has got another sweet deal as sources say the famous sarbhaja and sarpuria will soon be awarded geographical indication (GI) tags. GI is a sign used on products that have a particular geographical root and have qualities or a reputation due to that origin. The tags are issued as per the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act,1999.
West Bengal had secured the GI recognition for ‘Banglar Rosogolla’ in 2017 after a lengthy wrangle with Odisha over the origin of the sweet. The two states consulted historians and produced old documents to back their claims. After getting the recognition, Bengal announced that it will celebrate November 14 as ‘Rosogolla Dibas’ (Rosogolla Day) to mark the event. Following an elaborate testing process, the state decided this year that about 70 sweet shops were qualified to sell the GI-tagged ‘Banglar Rosogolla’. These included names like Sen Mahasay, KC Das Private Limited, Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick, and Chittaranjan Mistanna Bhandar, etc. In 2019, Odisha got a GI tag for its own ‘Rasagola’. The recognition prevents duplication of the tagged products, is considered a mark of quality, and helps in the branding of an item in the international market.
The West Bengal government had applied for GI badges for sarbhaja and sarpuria from Krishnanagar in Nadia district about four years ago, say sources. The administration had to prove that the two were original, genuine and unique sweets of Bengal. While sarbhaja is a soft sweet sandwiched between thick layers of smoked sar (milk skin or lactoderm), sarpuria has a creamy texture with a subtle sweetness.
According to sweet aficionados, the relationship of sarbhaja and sarpuria with Bengal is a long one. Some say the two items have been made in the state for about 500 years. However, according to others, these sweets were first prepared here about 150 years ago by a man named Adhar Das. The sweet traders’ association of Krishnanagar, in collaboration with the state government, had applied for the GI badge. They also produced evidence that the sweets were mentioned in ancient scriptures.
Sources say the two confections have cleared all the tests to earn the GI tags and the good news may come for Bengal’s sweet lovers before this year’s Durga Puja, which is in October. West Bengal’s confections like sitabhog and mihidana from Burdwan and Joynagar Moa have also got GI badges.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.
Comments
0 comment