New Delhi: Comparing a rasgulla with an idli is a “profound cosmological misunderstanding”, Shashi Tharoor believes.
The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, known for his humour, entered a playful social media debate over rasgulla and idli, quickly turning it into a larger conversation about food identity, regional pride and the cultural significance attached to everyday Indian dishes, as reported by The Indian Express.
It started with user Sayantika posting about Rasgulla, wondering how to explain its taste to someone unfamiliar with the famous sweet. In response, another X user, @crazyxedi, dismissed rasgulla as “nothing but an idli dipped in sugar syrup” and called it “the most overrated dessert.”
Tharoor stepped into the debate with a characteristically elaborate defence of the idli.
Responding to the comparison, Tharoor wrote: “Indeed! To conflate a Rasgulla with an Idli is not just a culinary error; it is a profound cosmological misunderstanding.”
“She is comparing chhena (the delicate, squeaky, pristine curd of milk) with a meticulously fermented batter of parboiled rice and black gram (urad dal). Their compositions are from entirely different kingdoms,” he went on to post.
The former diplomat further described rasgulla and idli not just as foods, but as products of entirely different culinary philosophies.
“One is an airy, spongy lattice designed to trap light sugar syrup; the oth
er is a dense, wholesome, steamed matrix of complex carbohydrates and proteins. Their taste, consistency, structural integrity, and existential purpose share absolutely nothing in common,” he wrote.
Tharoor also passionately defended the idli’s cultural and nutritional importance, saying, “The Idli is not a mere ‘bland cake.’ It is a masterclass in biotechnology.”
He went on to highlight the science and craftsmanship behind fermentation, and added: “To achieve the perfect Idli is to balance the delicate microflora of wild fermentation over a cold night, resulting in a steamed cloud that is a triumph of gut health, lightness, and nutritional balance.”
Calling it “a savoury monolith of South Indian culinary genius,” he argued that idli was “perfectly engineered to absorb the sharp tang of a well-spiced sambar or the fiery depth of a molaga-podi (gunpowder) paste infused with cold-pressed sesame oil or nutritious melted ghee.”
Tharoor concluded with a humorous but firm defence of the dish’s identity: “To suggest an Idli would even consent to being drowned in sugar syrup is to fundamentally misunderstand its dignity.”
“If this lady finds Rasgullas overrated, argue that on the merits of their sponginess or sweetness. But please, leave the noble, perfectly fermented, steamed majesty of the Idli out of your dessert-table polemics, ma’am!” he added.
His remarks triggered amused and enthusiastic reactions online.
“Wah Tharoor saab waah maja aa gaye I am gonna eat some idli sambhar now let me order,” one user wrote.
“As my eyes perused through this, my brain and belly conspired to ignite within my soul an urgent urge to devour a plateful of Idlis for dinner,” a second posted.
A third user joked: “Well said. Got me thinking though, what if we do dip Idli in sugar syrup. Yum yum.”