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Fermentation Atlas

Cereals and bread from South Asia, Iran, Arab world, Central Asia, East Africa

Jalebi (fermented-batter version)जलेबी

A thick batter of refined wheat flour, water and a little curd is left to ferment for up to a day until it is sour and full of gas. It is piped in spirals into hot oil or ghee, fried crisp and soaked in sugar syrup. Made in 4 steps over 3 min – 24 h. The longest step, ferment, takes 0 min – 24 h (Chakkaravarthi A 2013). Lapidilactobacillus dextrinicus (the most abundant species) and other lactic acid bacteria, including Pediococcus stilesii and Enterococcus hirae and Saccharomyces bayanus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step0 min – 24 hMeasured[chakkaravarthi2013]Ferment
Temperature160 °CMeasured[chakkaravarthi2014]Pipe spirals into hot oil and fry
AciditypH 3.5–5.3Measured[chakkaravarthi2013]Ferment

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceNo fixed recipe; the amounts are the ranges a Mysore study tested. Some cooks use old batter instead of curd, and quick versions use baker's yeast or soda.
Refined wheat flour (maida) · Finely milled, under 130 µm in the study batters[chakkaravarthi2013]
Batter moisture 50–65 %Water · The range tested; more water makes the batter pour more easily[chakkaravarthi2013]
0–10 %Curd (yoghurt) · The range tested; curd speeds souring[chakkaravarthi2013]
Sugar syrup · For soaking the fried spirals[chakkaravarthi2014]
Oil or ghee · For frying[chakkaravarthi2014]
Starterspontaneous or backslop (curd or old batter); yeast or baking soda in quick versions

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 min – 24 h

Start
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What changes: Flour, water and a little curd are mixed into a thick batter

Step 1 of 4
Mix flour, water and curd into a thick batter
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Yeasts

Output: batter.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
thick, smooth paste
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Jalebi is a fried sweet made from a batter that is soured for up to a day first, which gives it a slight tang. The fried strands are porous and crisp, so they soak up the syrup.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Imarti / jangiriBlack gram (urad dal) batter, not long-fermented.
  • Chhena jalebi, mawa/khoya jalebiDairy-based dough; fermentation not essential.
  • Zulbia (Iran), zalabiya (Arab world)Yeast dough, with honey or rose syrup.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The earliest recipe is in Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's 10th-century Kitab al-Tabikh. Indian sources include the Priyamkara-nrpa-katha of about 1450 and the Gunyagunabodhini, before 1600.

  1. [chakkaravarthi2013] Chakkaravarthi A., Kumar H.N., Bhattacharya S. 2013, Jilebi 2, Flowability, pourability and pH of batter as affected by fermentation, J Food Sci Technol 50:293–300, doi:10.1007/s13197-011-0326-zpaper
  2. [chakkaravarthi2014] Chakkaravarthi A., Nagaprabha P., Kumar H.N., Latha R.B., Bhattacharya S. 2014, Jilebi 3, Effect of frying conditions on physical characteristics, J Food Sci Technol 51:865–874, doi:10.1007/s13197-011-0595-6paper
  3. [shangpliang2023] Shangpliang H.N.J., Tamang J.P. 2023, Metagenomics and metagenome-assembled genomes mining of health benefits in jalebi batter, Food Res Int 172:113130, doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113130paper
  4. [fao1999] FAO 1999, Fermented cereals, a global perspective (FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 138), chapter 3, Asia-Pacificgov
  5. [tamang2016] Tamang, Watanabe, Holzapfel, "Review: Diversity of Microorganisms in Global Fermented Foods and Beverages", Front. Microbiol. 7:377, 2016paper
  6. [wp-jalebi] Wikipedia, Jalebi (history and variants only; cites Nasrallah 2007)wiki