Tracing 5 Popular Folklore Surrounding Ladoo

Imagine a festive occasion, wedding, gathering, or even a small veneration. One thing you will find common in all these is a box of ladoo.

It is offered to Gods, distributed among devotees, and presented to students during events in schools. Made in a variety of flavours, ladoos are among traditional Indian sweets that cannot be replaced by any high-end sophisticated delicacy. Not to mention the burst of flavours that each piece leaves you with in gastronomic heaven.

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From coconut and chocolate to chickpea flour and sesame seeds, ladoos have an array of food items as star ingredients. For pregnant women, ladoos made of edible gum are considered healthy, while diabetic patients can purchase sugar-free delights from sweet shops. Despite being so popular, only a few people know how ladoos came into existence.

In 2015, Sri Bhakta Anjaneya Sweets received the Guinness World Record for making the largest ladoo weighing 8,369 kg. In 2024, a sweet shop wonder in Hyderabad made a ladoo weighing 1, 265 kg to be sent to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya for its consecration ceremony. Such is the craze for the sweet dish.

Ladoos Were Made By Doctor As A Medicine

Reportedly, Sushruta, who is also considered the father of Ayurveda, made ladoos with antiseptic properties. In the old days, they contained medicinal ingredients that helped patients to gulp down bitter pills with ease. According to many folklore, he made these ladoos using sesame seeds, coconut, peanuts, jaggery, honey, and other such nutritious food items that helped a person build their immunity. Shubhra Chatterji, a culinary researcher, once said in an interview that Sushruta used to add medicinal herbs and seeds to ladoos.