{{Short description|Sweet Indian food}} {{Infobox food | name = Kesari bath | image = kEsari baat.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = ''Kesari bath'' with cashews | alternate_name = ಕೇಸರಿ ಬಾತ್, ரவா கேசரி, రవ్వ కేసరి, रवा केसरी बाथ, റവ കേസരി | country = India | region = Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh | creator = | course = Breakfast in Karnataka, northern Tamil Nadu and Kerala; dessert in other places | served = | main_ingredient = Semolina, sugar, ghee | variations = | calories = | other = }} '''''Kesari bath''''' or '''''kesari baat''''' ({{langx|kn|ಕೇಸರಿ ಬಾತ್}}) is a South Indian dessert. The classic ingredients used for its preparation are semolina, sugar, ghee (usually), water, and milk. The sweet is more commonly known as jonnadula halwa in certain parts of northern India.
The precise composition of ''kesari bath'' varies regionally depending on the availability of ingredients. The dish might be prepared with pineapple,<ref name=Pineapple>{{cite web|title=Pineapple Kesari Bath|url=http://www.monsoonspice.com/2011/10/pineapple-kesari-bhathsuji-ka-halwa.html|accessdate=13 January 2013}}</ref> banana, mango, coconut,<ref name=Coconut>{{cite web|title=Coconut Kesari Bath|url=https://thecuisine.blogspot.com/2011/07/kobbari-ravva-kesari-coconut-kesari.html|accessdate=13 January 2013}}</ref> or rice.<ref name=Rice>{{cite web|title=Rice Kesari Bath|url=http://vanilohith.blogspot.in/2012/06/rice-kesaribath-for-blog-anniversary.html|accessdate=13 January 2013}}</ref>
Claims to the origin of the dish are made by Karnataka. The dish is common in the cuisine of Karnataka as well as of multiple regions in South India and is a popular dish during festivals such as Ugadi. The word ''kesari'' in multiple Indian languages refers to the spice saffron, which creates the dish's saffron-orange-yellow-colored tinge.<ref name=Rice /> Though it is a sweet dish, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is prepared not only as a dessert but also for normal breakfasts. It is also served with ''upma'', ''rava khichdi'' or ''khara bath'', and a serving of both dishes on one plate is popularly called "chow chow ''bath''".
In North India, it is served as a sweet dish called ''suji halwa'', ''suji'' being the Hindi word for semolina or rava. It uses similar ingredients to ''kesari baat'' such as ghee, sugar, semolina and water. Nuts and raisins are often added, and sometimes saffron may also be added. This dish is ideally, and most commonly, served hot.
== History == The dish is listed as ''shali-anna'' in ''Manasollasa'', a 12th-century work by the Chalukya king Someshvara III.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/IndianFoodTraditionAHistoricalCompanionAchayaK.T./Indian%20Food%20Tradition%20A%20Historical%20Companion%20Achaya%20K.T._djvu.txt|title=Full text of "Indian Food Tradition A Historical Companion Achaya K. T."|website=archive.org|access-date=2019-01-30}}</ref> <gallery widths="200px" heights="200px"> Chow chow bath ( khara bath & kesari bath ).jpg|Chow chow ''bath'', a common breakfast in Karnataka, consists of one serving of the spicy ''khara bat'' and another of a sweet ''kesari bath''. Kesari_Bath_(5832083727).jpg|''Kesari bath'' is traditionally served on a banana leaf in southern India. File:Kesari Bhath.jpg|Typical Karnataka-style lemon-coloured ''kesari bhath'' with cashew nuts </gallery>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{commons category|Kesari}}
Category:Indian desserts Category:Karnataka cuisine