Falooda or Faluda is a cold and sweet beverage containing many ingredients very popular in South Asia. Traditionally it is made by mixing rose syrup with vermicelli, psyllium (ispaghol) or basil seeds, jelly pieces and tapioca pearls along with either milk, water or ice cream. Faluda is an adaptation of the non-liquid Persian dessert Faloodeh, made in Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan, North India and Afghanistan, from which it adopted the name. This drink may have been brought to the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal period. The vermicelli used are often made from arrowroot rather than wheat. The rose syrup may be substituted with another flavoured base to produce kesar (saffron), mango, chocolate or fig flavour.

Nowadays faluda is a popular summer drink throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the Middle East and is readily available in restaurants and beach stalls. Faluda is of Persian origin. The Persian dessert, known by the name faloodeh, was brought to India when the Mughal Empire started flourishing. At some point in time, Persians began mixing home made noodles into ice. Vermicelli used for preparing Persian faluda are made from arrowroot whereas they are usually made of wheat in India.

A yakhchal was an ancient Persian ice house. By 400 B.C. Persians had developed the technique of storing ice. The ice was gathered during the winter or carried from the mountain tops in large insulated underground chambers topped by dome structures. This allowed ice to remain available throughout the summer and even in the desert. The best use was made to prepare desserts like faluda. Later on, as techniques improved, rose water and sugar were added with the vermicelli. Today there are many versions of faluda. Some are made without noodles and blended with fruit. One of the Indian versions consists of kulfi, translucent wheat-starch noodles and flavoured syrup. Some faludas are served as milkshakes.

Source: Wikipedia

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