Kheer: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Sweet pudding dish from Indian subcontinent}}

{{Infobox food

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'''Kheer''', '''khir''' or '''payasam''' is a [[pudding]] or [[porridge]] (specifically [[rice pudding]]) popular in the [[Indian subcontinent]], usually made by boiling [[milk]], [[sugar]] or [[jaggery]], and [[rice]]. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts, [[cardamom]] and [[saffron]]. Instead of rice, it may contain [[cracked wheat]], vermicelli ([[sevai]]), [[sago]] or [[Tapioca#Tapioca pearls|tapioca]] (sabudana).

In Northern India, it is made in various ways. The most popular versions are the ones made with rice and [[vermicelli]] (semiya).  

==Etymology==

The word ''kheer'' is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''[[kshira]]'' (क्षीर), which means [[milk]] or a milk-based dish. Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet [[rice pudding]].

The word ''payasam'' used in [[South India]] for kheer originates from the [[Sanskrit]] term ''pāyasa'' (पायस), which means "milk" or a dish made from milk. This term evolved into various regional languages, including [[Malayalam]] (പായസം, pāyasaṁ), [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (పాయసం, pāyasaṁ), and [[Tamil Nadu|Tamil]] (பாயசம், pāyacam).

It is said to have originated initially in South India thousands of years ago. The story is titled "The Legend of Chessboard" in [[Kerala]], an old sage in the form of Krishna challenged the king of Ambalapuzha (chess enthusiasts) to play chess. To motivate the sage, the king offered anything that the sage would name. The sage modestly asked just for a few grains of rice but under one condition: the king has to put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every subsequent one.

[[Krishna|Lord Krishna]] (the sage) won the game and the king started placing the grains. As he stacked them, he was shocked to see the number grow exponentially. In the end, the number came up to trillions. Krishna reveals himself and asks the king to provide kheer to every pilgrim who comes to his temple there. The [[Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple|Ambalapuzha Krishna]] temple still follows this and it is located in Kerala's Alappuzha district.

According to the food historian [[K. T. Achaya]], kheer or ''payasam'', as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish in [[ancient India]]. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar, a formula that has endured for over two thousand years. ''Payasam'' was also a staple [[Hindu]] temple food, in particular, and it is served as ''[[Prasāda]]'' to devotees in [[Temple|temples]].

== Gallery ==

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==See also==

* [[Porridge]]

* [[Sheer khurma]] – Persian vermicelli pudding

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