Ledikeni
Ledikeni (Bengali: লেডিকেনি) or Lady Kenny is a popular sweetmeat of West Bengal. It is a light fried reddish-brown sweet ball made of chhana and flour and filled with molten sugar syrup. Ledikeni is named after Lady Canning, the wife of Charles Canning, the Governor-General of India during 1856-62.
History
The sweet originated in Kolkata in the middle of the 19th century. There are various legends regarding the origin of the sweet. According to the most popular legend, a special sweetmeat was prepared by Bhim Chandra Nag in the honour of Lady Canning at some point during her stay in India from 1856 till her death in 1861.[1] In some versions of the tale, the sweetmeat was prepared to commemorate her visit to India in 1856, while in other versions, it was prepared on the occasion of her birthday.[1] Some variations of the tale state that it became her favourite dessert, which she would demand on every occasion.[2] According to yet another legend, the sweet was prepared by the confectioners of Baharampur in 1857, after the mutiny, to commemorate the visit by Canning and his wife.[1]
Lady Canning died in 1861. Since then the sweetmeat has gained immense popularity in Bengal. No grand feast was considered complete if the sweetmeat was not offered to the guest.[2] The manufacturer was said to have made a lot of money by selling the sweetmeat. As it gained popularity, the sweetmeat came to be known as "Lady Canning" which gradually got corrupted to "ledikeni".
