After the iconic Banglar Roshogolla, another mouth-watering delicacy from Kolkata has secured the Geographical Indication tag or GI tag. Yes we are talking about none other than the Nolen Gurer Shondesh!

Nolen Gurer Shondesh is a seasonal ‘mishti’ or sweet made from chhena and Nolen Gur or date palm jaggery. The liquid jaggery adds a caramel-like flavour and reddish brown colour to the sweet. Nolen gurer shondesh is an indispensable part of the Bengali cuisine during winter months.

Seven items from West Bengal get GI tag

However, not just Nolen Gurer Shondesh, there are six other items from Bengal to bag the GI tag including three more varieties of sweets. These include Murshidabad Chhanabora, Bishnupur Motichur Laddu and Kamarpukur Sada Bode.

Other items from West Bengal to secure the GI Tag are Bengal’s small-grained, non-basmati, aromatic Radhunipagal rice, Malda Nistari Silk Yarn and Baruipur Guavas.

What is Geographical Indication tag or GI tag?

Bestowed by the Department of Industry and Internal Trade at the Central Government, the Geographical Indication tag is a permanent territorial recognition for a particular item. A GI tag identifies a product as originating from a particular region.

GI tags are a type of intellectual property right that protect products and promote traditional knowledge. GI tags are normally given to agricultural products, foodstuffs, spirit drinks, handicrafts, industrial products, and natural products.

GI tag for Darjeeling Tea in 2004

The first Indian product to receive a GI tag was Darjeeling Tea in 2004.

Banglar Roshogolla got GI Tag in 2017

On November 14, 2017, the GI Registry of India granted West Bengal the GI status for Banglar Roshogolla. The GI Registrar office at Chennai later specifically clarified that West Bengal was given GI status only for the Bengali version of Rasgulla calling it “Banglar Rashogolla”, and not for the sweet’s origin.

Bengali variant of the Rasgulla or Roshogolla was invented by Nobin Chandra Das (1845–1925), a Bengali confectioner.

Banglar Roshogolla vs Odisha Rasogola

West Bengal and Odisha were involved in a tug-of-war to stake a claim to the origin of the sweetmeat. While West Bengal was granted the GI tag for ‘Banglar Rosogulla’ or the Bengal variant of the sweetmeat in 2017, Odisha got the GI tag for ‘Odisha Rasagola’ or the Odisha variant two years later in 2019.