{{Short description|Soft candy from the Indian subcontinent}} {{distinguish|Peda}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox food | name = Petha | image = Petha kesari.JPG | image_size = 250px | caption = Kesar Petha variant | alternate_name = | country = Indian subcontinent | region = Agra, Uttar Pradesh | course = Dessert | served = | main_ingredient = Ash gourd, sugar | variations = Kesar Petha, Angoori Petha, Dry Petha, Chocolate Petha, Paan Petha, Gulab Petha | calories = ~250 | other = |name_lang=Hindustani|national_cuisine=Indian cuisine|year=uncertain |minor_ingredient=}}'''Petha''' (Hindi: पेठा pronounced {{IPA|hns|ˈpeːʈʰa|}}) is a translucent soft candy from the Indian subcontinent made from ash gourd or white pumpkin. It is simply called ''petha'' in Hindi and Urdu.<ref name=Crops>T. R. Gopalakrishnan {{google books|-mTUBjSyo_UC|Vegetable Crops|page=138}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Sharma|first=Sudhirendar|date=2019-10-12|title=Name, place, confection, thing|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/name-place-confection-thing/article29657621.ece|access-date=2020-10-28|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
== Preparation == Ash gourds, commonly referred to as white pumpkins, are a vegetable with a pale-green exterior and white, heavily seeded, savoury inside that is used to make petha. The gourd is sliced into bite-sized pieces and then cured for a few hours in a solution of Calcium Hydroxide, locally known as ''Choona'' or ''Soon''. After removing the gourd pieces from the ''Choona'' solution, they're boiled until soft, and then soaked in sugar syrup. The final candy has a sugar-crisp exterior and an almost moist, sticky interior with a firm, crunchy, and almost crystalline texture.
The flavouring of Agra's confections is considered to be inventive, and candy counters in the city are rainbows of vibrantly coloured petha, flavoured with everything from paan to rose.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Petha Recipe {{!}} How to Make Petha {{!}} Agra Ka Petha|url=https://food.ndtv.com/recipe-petha-218806|access-date=2020-10-28|website=NDTV Food}}</ref>
With growing demand and innovation, more varieties of the original preparation are available. Many flavoured variants are available, e.g. ''kesar petha'', ''angoori petha'' etc. There are some other variations based on content, one with coconut mixed, another with some nuts put into it. Sometimes kewda essence is used to flavour petha.<ref>[http://www.ammas.com/ar/home.cfm?r=spices&total=133&spid=1&C=All Ammas cooking] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526220809/http://www.ammas.com/ar/home.cfm?r=spices&total=133&spid=1&C=All |date=2013-05-26 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2018-02-02|title=Food Secrets: The Sweet Stories Behind The Legendary Agra Petha and Mysore Pak|url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/129745/food-history-indian-sweets-mysore-pak-agra-petha/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=The Better India|language=en-US}}</ref>
== History == Petha is said to have been in the subcontinent under various names like Oal and Oal ka Murabba in places like modern-day Jharkhand and Bihar. There is a legend that says that it originated in Mughal kitchens under Shah Jahan and was used to feed the workers constructing the Taj Mahal, but it's highly unlikely considering that there is no mention of Petha in cookbooks of Shah Jahan like Nuskha-e-Shahjahani. There are mentions of dishes resembling Petha before the Mughals came to the subcontinent. Petha is also not like typical Mughal sweets and dishes which were rich in milk and mawa.<ref name="insearchof">{{cite news|title=Food Safari: in search of Agra Petha |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/food-safari-in-search-of-agra-petha/article3500491.ece |first=Swati |last=Daftuar |date=9 June 2012 |work=The Hindu |accessdate=30 June 2015}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="harmingTaj">{{cite news|title=Petha industry not harming Taj: Kalraj |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/Petha-industry-not-harming-Taj-Kalraj/articleshow/41368950.cms |first=Ishita |last=Mishra |date=31 August 2014|work=Times of India |location=Agra |accessdate=29 June 2015}}</ref>
== See also == thumb|Rock sugar Winter Melon candy : Dōngguā táng 冬瓜糖
*Peda *Mathura peda * Dōngguā táng or Rock sugar Winter Melon candy
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Agra Category:Economy of Agra Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Category:Indian confectionery Category:Wax gourd dishes Category:Melon desserts