- Odisha gets GI tag for its version of Rasagola
- The name of the geographical indication will be read as “Odisha Rasagola“.
- West Bengal got GI tag for its ‘Banglara Rasagola’ which has been existing since 1863.
- Now both Odisha and West Bengal has GI Tag for their own version of Rasagola.
- The mention of the word ‘rasagola’ was found in the 15th Century Odia Dandi Ramayan written by the medieval poet ‘Balaram Das’.
- It is made with chhena (cottage cheese) cooked in sugar syrup, which is very soft, juicy and non‐chewy and can be swallowed without teeth pressure.
- In its ‘Ajodhya Kanda’, there is an elaborate descriptions of chhena and chhena‐based products including rasagola.
- Odisha is celebrating the ‘Rasagola Dibasa’ every year on the day of ‘Niladri Bije’ (Return of Lord Jagannath from Rath Yatra into the temple).
- The deities are offered Rasagola by servitors before entering the temple.
GI Tag
- A Geographical Indicator tag for a particular product, is a ‘legal right’, recognises it as distinctive to a particular locality or region or country.
- As a member of the WTO, India had enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999, which came into force from 2003.
- The tag conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness of the product.
