Whatever name you call it by does not matter. The Bikaneri Barfi is the same as the milk cake that is all too tasty and awesome. When you hear Alwar Kalakand, Alwar ka Mawa or Alwar ka milk cake is all one and the same milk cake. It tastes like heaven in your mouth. It melts as if a drop of milk is in our mouth.
And do you know where Alwar is? And why Alwar is so famous? Of course yes. Alwar is in Rajasthan. It is all too famous because it has a milk surplus production that allows it to make milk products that are tasty. It is very famous for its kalakand or the milk cake.
Alwar is located in the fertile region of the Aravalli ranges where the region is green in colour in contrast to the other parts of the state. So naturally, cattle rearing are abundant over there. Therefore the production of milk is in surplus. From its excess production of milk comes the production of milk cake.
History Of The Milk Cake Of Rajasthan
The pioneer of the milk cake is as gathered from history, Baba Thakur Das. He first came to the forefront in the markets of Rajasthan from Alwar with his kalakand. The milk cake has been in the market since 1947 and its popularity has been on the rise since then.
It became so popular and is still so popular that around 5,000 people are associated with it today. It sells like hot cake today. It has become an industry in itself. Baba Thakur Das was originally from Pakistan and he came to India after the partition.
By profession, he was a sweet maker and no wonder he was the creator of the wonderful Bikaneri Barfi. After reaching India, he was sent to Alwar where there was an abundance of milk and he made the milk cake or the kalakand. It was also known as the dodha barfi. And thus he became the first Bikaneri Barfi Manufacturer in India.
The sweet became so famous that the area was ultimately known as Kalakand Market. Although the market predominantly sells kalakand or the Bikaneri Barfi, other little things are also sold there.
How Is The Bikaneri Barfi Made
The original Bikaneri Barfi was made from milk. The milk was made to boil till it curdled into a thickened form. This thick milk was then put into moulds or containers. When the thickened milk was opened from the mould the centre became a delicious brown in colour. The people hailed it as his Kala or his art and hence the name kalakand.
Speciality Of The Milk Cake
The entire speciality of the sweet lies in the brown coloured centre. It was so brown in colour that people initially thought it was made from meat because he hailed from Pakistan. But when the pioneer made the sweet in front of people they began to believe that it was really made from milk and sugar only.
Its Popularity
The Bikaneri Barfi is so popular today that its production has increased along with its sale. Amazingly, today a daily limit of 4,000 kg of milk is used to manufacture 800 to 1,000 kg of kalakand using 16 bhattis that are operated by 16 karigars or skilled workers. While one man is continuously weighing out the sugar another is stirring the milk while the next man puts it into bottles. The process continues on and on.
