When it comes to Rasgulla, West Bengal and Odisha have fought bitter battles (sorry). As much it is a land of Rabindra Sangeet, West Bengal has come to closely be associated with Rasgulla or Roshogolla, as a proud Bengali would love to call it. The stereotype has permeated popular culture so well that the favorite 'mantra' of a Bengali character in 'Zaban Sambhaal ke' was 'Gulla Gulla Roshogolla'.
Only Boroline may have the wherewithal to dare claim equal, if not greater, place in Bengali life.
Jokes aside. Rasgulla is, understandably, a symbol of all things Bengali.
Enter Odisha, the neighbouring state which speaks Odia and Bengali. They are avid eaters (and makers) of Rasgulla too. Actually, Rasagola.
So why should Bengal have all the fun?
Odisha says that Rasagola was first served in Jagannath Temple, which is a 12th century shrine in Puri. The word also finds mention in works of Balram Das, a 15th-century poet.
So case closed? Not quite.
Not wanting to lose its claim on the famed sweet, West Bengal maintained that Rasgulla was invented by Nobin Chandra Das, a Bengali confectioner in 1860s.
Both, West Bengal and Odisha, wanted a bigger piece of the pie.
So they set about demanding Geogtaphical Indication (GI) tag for Rasgulla which both said originated in their state.
Battle lines were drawn, recipes were examined. Odisha's science and technology minister Pradip Kumar Panigrahi even set up government committees to trace origins of the dish.
Things did escalate quickly.
But, unfortunately for Odisha, West Bengal was awarded GI tag of Rasgulla in November 2017. There was palpable joy in the streets of Bengal. So much so that the state government decided to celebrate November 14, 2018, as Rasgulla Divas.
But "Fear not!" [must have] said the Odisha Government as it filed a petition in this regard.
The efforts came to fruition on Monday - July 29, when 'Odisha Rasagola' got GI tag.
But what is GI tag?
World Intellectual Property Organisation says that "A geographical indication is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin."
This means only the Rasagola made in Odisha may get considered as the real deal.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed the development as he took to Twitter.
Also Read | 'Odisha Rasagola' gets GI tag in battle with West Bengal
Also Read | Odisha wins sweet battle against West Bengal, #OdishaRasagola trends on Twitter
