The iconic Tirupati Laddu, a sacred offering at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, has been caught in a political controversy over its ingredients. This article explores the history of the laddu, its significance, and the recent debate surrounding its production.
A sweet and sacred laddu has now become the centre of a not-so-sweet political controversy. On Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous administration of using pig fat in the making of Tirupati laddoos during the time of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as Chief Minister.
All about Tirupati Laddu
For more over three centuries, the Tirupati Laddu, also known as the 'Srivari Laddu', has been the temple's major offering. Laddu is said to be Lord Venkateswara's favourite naivedyam (a sacrifice to God).
According to reports, the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the well-known Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, employs cutting-edge packing techniques to keep their prasad laddu fresh for 15 days.
According to a 2015 research study published in the World Wide Journals, the laddoo sold at the Tirupati Temple is made with approximately one tonne of besan flour, ten tonnes of sugar, 700 kg of cashew nuts, 150 kg of cardamom, 350 litres of ghee, 500 kg of sugar candies, and 500 kg of raisins per day.
Who created the laddu?
The "laddu empire" that Kalyanam Iyengar helped to build in Tirupati is credited with turning laddu into a speciality of the region. Following him on the mantle were his son, brother, brother-in-law, and so on. It is also said that Iyengar's culinary ability led to laddoos being a mainstay of the prasadam among the idyllic Tirumala hills.
Until 2001, TTD staff created the laddoos by hand. Nevertheless, more laddoos had to be prepared every day as the number of devotees increased over time. A few years later, the management of the temple built a "potu," also known as "The Lord's Kitchen," where the prasad was made using firewood.
Recipe and what goes into the making of laddu
Due of the issue, the recipe for the laddoo has received attention. The list of materials and quantities used to produce Tirupati Laddu is known as dittam. Throughout its history, Dittam has undergone six changes to meet the expanding demand for laddus. Currently, the components include cardamom, ghee, cashew nuts, sugar, raisins, and sugar candy. Every day, laddus require around 10 tons of gram flour, 10 tons of sugar, 700 kg of cashew nuts, 150 kg of cardamom, 300-500 liters of ghee, 500 kg of sugar candy, and 540 kg of raisins. TTD buys all of them through yearly bids.