Rasgulla
Soft balls of kneaded chhena cooked in sugar syrup, the most famous cheese sweet of Odisha and Bengal.
Also: রসগোল্লা, ରସଗୋଲା, rasagola, rosogolla, rasagolla
Rasgulla, rasagola in Odia and rosogolla in Bengali, is made from fresh chhena kneaded until perfectly smooth, rolled into small balls and boiled in light sugar syrup until they swell, turn spongy and soak it up. It is served cool, in its syrup. Both Odisha and West Bengal claim it. Odisha links it to the Jagannath temple at Puri, where it is offered on the last day of the chariot festival; Kolkata credits the confectioner Nobin Chandra Das with the white, spongy version in 1868. Both states now hold a Geographical Indication: Banglar Rasogolla since 2017 and Odisha Rasagola since 2019. Rasmalai is a close relative served in thickened milk.