Barfi

Barfi! is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Anurag Basu, and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The first UTV project to be released under the Disney·UTV brand, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz (in her Hindi film debut) with Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Jisshu Sengupta, Roopa Ganguly and Haradhan Bandopadhyay in supporting roles. Set in Darjeeling, Kolkata and Jalandhar of the 1970s, the film focuses on Barfi (Kapoor), a deaf-mute young man based in Darjeeling, and his relationships with two girls, the beautiful Shruti (D'Cruz) and the autistic Jhilmil (Chopra). Made on a budget of ₹35 crore, Barfi! was released on 14 September 2012. The film received widespread critical acclaim for the cast performances, direction, screenplay, cinematography, music and the portrayal of physically disabled people. It was a major commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2012 in India and overseas, grossing crore worldwide. Since its release, Barfi! is remembered for its refreshing story, soundtrack, performances of the cast, and feel-good factor. The film was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards. Barfi! won several awards and nominations at various award ceremonies across India.…

Barfi or burfi is a milk-based sweet from the Indian subcontinent with a fudge-like consistency. It is consumed throughout India and Pakistan and is especially popular in North India. Barfi is often served at celebrations and religious festivals such as Diwali and Holi.

History and etymology

Barfi originated in Persia and was introduced to India by the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. Its name comes from the Persian and Urdu word (barf) for snow. According to a story, kaju (cashew) barfi was first prepared by the Mughal emperor Jahangir's chef on the occasion of the release of the Sikh Guru Hargobind from prison.

Preparation

To prepare barfi, khoa (milk solids) is mixed with granulated sugar and cooked, until it thickens to a fudge-like consistency. It is then spread onto a greased plate to cool. After cooling, it is cut into squares, diamonds, or circles. It can also be formed into balls, layered, or rolled into multicolored slices. When served at special occasions, it is often decorated with vark (edible silver foil). It can also be decorated with coconut, ground nuts, or powdered milk.

Varieties

Fruit, nuts, legumes, spices, and other flavorings may be added to the khoa-sugar mixture and yield different varieties of barfi. Commonly added fruits include guava and melon seeds. Typical nuts added include almonds, cashews, coconut, and pistachios. Mung beans are sometimes added and yield moong dal barfi. Common flavorings and spices include cardamom, kewra (fragrant screwpine), orange, mango, saffron, rosewater, and vanilla. Food colorings may also be added.

Around the world

Barfi is also popular in Trinidad and Tobago, where it was brought by indentured workers in the mid-19th century.

Gallery

File:Naral Vadi (Coconut Burfi) (50287135156).jpg|Coconut and mango barfi File:Chocalate barfi.jpg|Chocolate barfi File:Badam Barfi.jpg|Badam (almond) barfi File:Tri - colour Kaju Barfi.jpg|Tri-coloured kaju (cashew) barfi File:Two Layered Coconut Barfi.JPG|Coconut barfi File:Besan Ki Barfi.JPG|Besan (chickpea flour) barfi File:Moong Daal Barfi.jpg|Moong dal (mung bean) barfi File:Suji Barfi-Odisha.jpg|Odisha-style suji (semolina) barfi

References

Notes

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378828973 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.