{"id":8502,"date":"2026-10-26T18:39:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8502"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:50:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:50:55","slug":"kulfi","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/kulfi\/","title":{"rendered":"Kulfi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kulfi is a South Asian frozen dessert made by reducing sweetened milk, pouring it into molds and freezing it. Besides cone-shaped kulfi on a stick, there are cylindrical versions and versions served in small vessels. It comes in many flavors, including pistachio, almond, saffron, cardamom and mango. Whatever the flavor or shape, all are made the same way: reduced milk is frozen with almost no whipping.<\/p>\n

Reducing the Milk and Freezing It Without Whipping<\/h2>\n

Reducing milk lowers its water content and raises the proportion of milk solids. The same volume of liquid then holds a higher concentration of milk components. For traditional kulfi, the milk is concentrated in a pan while being stirred, and sugar and flavorings are added. Reduction is not just a way to add sweetness. It sets the concentration and flavor of the milk before freezing. Stirring during heating is also essential to keep the milk from sticking to the pan and scorching.<\/p>\n

In one example used in Indian dairy education, the milk is concentrated to about twice its original strength, combined with sugar and nuts, and then packed into molds. How far the milk is concentrated varies from method to method. Some methods add malai, the rich part of milk, and others add extra milk solids. Several approaches are used to create a rich milk flavor.<\/p>\n

The technical difference from ordinary ice cream lies in overrun. Overrun is the percentage by which volume increases as air is taken in during freezing. Kulfi is frozen without being stirred, so air adds almost no volume. Kulfi taken out of its mold has a dense, compact texture because concentrated milk is frozen with little air.<\/p>\n

Freezing speed also affects texture, along with the proportions of sugar and milk solids. Rapid freezing tends to produce fine ice crystals. Besides the conventional method of chilling with ice and salt, trials have also used liquid nitrogen to freeze kulfi in a short time. Cooling methods differ in these ways, but all share the same approach: concentrated milk is put into molds and frozen with little air. This gives kulfi its dense texture.<\/p>\n

\n\"Kulfi\n
Kulfi on a stick, taken out of a long, narrow mold (May 29, 2022, location unknown). It is a single serving that can be held in the hand. Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Downsized image as distributed by Wikimedia Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Chilling the Molds from the Outside with Ice and Salt<\/h2>\n

In traditional production, small covered molds are buried in a mixture of ice and salt. Adding salt lowers the temperature at which ice melts, so the surrounding mixture can become colder than ice made from water alone. The salt is not added in large amounts to the sweet milk. It is used to chill the outside of the molds. The molds keep the milk and the coolant from mixing and also shape each serving.<\/p>\n

Molds come in cone, cylinder and other shapes. The finished kulfi can be taken out of the mold and sliced on a plate, or eaten by holding the stick. Some kulfi is set in an earthenware vessel called a matka and served in it. This is a different way of eating kulfi from the stick version.<\/p>\n

Platts\u2019s 19th-century dictionary lists qulf\u012b as a Persian word and defines it as a mold for ices or a covered cup. This definition shows that the name kulfi also refers to a tool: a mold that holds sweet milk while it is chilled from the outside.<\/p>\n

\n\"Pistachio\n
Pistachio kulfi at a restaurant called Taj Mahal (the shooting date recorded in the image\u2019s Exif data is February 5, 2022; location unknown). An example of kulfi turned out of its mold onto a plate and eaten with a spoon. Photo: Francesc Fort \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Downsized image as distributed by Wikimedia Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n
\n\"Matka\n
Matka kulfi (the shooting date recorded in the image\u2019s Exif data is December 16, 2023; location unknown). Stick kulfi is taken out of its mold to be eaten, but this kind is served in its small earthenware vessel. Photo: Yakshitha \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Downsized image as distributed by Wikimedia Commons. No alterations to the content and no cropping.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

From a Frozen Dessert of Rich Milk to Street Trade<\/h2>\n

The history of kulfi is often linked to the Mughal court. The Ain-i Akbari, a 16th-century record of Akbar\u2019s court, describes how covered metal flasks were chilled by moving them in an outer liquid of water mixed with saltpeter. There are also records of ice being carried by water and overland from Panhan in the northern mountains. Preparing cold food required more than preparing the milk. Cooling materials and equipment also had to be obtained. These records describe the court\u2019s cooling techniques. They do not identify the recipe (the ingredient proportions and method) or the inventor of today\u2019s kulfi.<\/p>\n

People who sell kulfi on city streets are called kulfiwalas. Kulfi, frozen one serving at a time in molds, also became something sold from storefronts and street stalls. Prakash Kulfi in Lucknow has a shop history connected with migration at the time of Partition.<\/p>\n

Prakash Chandra Arora\u2019s family left West Punjab in 1947 and moved to Bareilly, and later to Lucknow. Arora started selling kulfi from a small wooden stand near Aminabad Park and opened a shop in 1956. The business grew into a shop selling kulfi falooda along with flavors such as saffron and rose. Falooda is a sweet that contains thin, noodle-like strands, which add a soft, noodle-like texture to the rich kulfi.<\/p>\n

According to the shop\u2019s history, it used to operate during the season from Shivaratri to Ganga Snan. This is an example of the frozen-dessert trade following the local religious calendar. In Delhi as well, shops sell kulfi falooda in the Matia Mahal market near the Jama Masjid. Home cooking techniques and the court\u2019s cooling techniques are part of kulfi\u2019s history. So is the work of migrant families who opened shops and kept selling in the markets. Trades like these have also helped pass down the ways kulfi is eaten.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Liquid nitrogen<\/strong>: Nitrogen in the form of an extremely cold liquid. It is also used in research on freezing frozen desserts quickly.<\/p>

Platts<\/strong>: A language scholar who compiled a dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi and other languages. In the 19th century, he defined kulfi as a mold for ices or a covered cup.<\/p>

Prakash Kulfi<\/strong>: A kulfi shop in Lucknow. It began as a street stall and grew into a shop.<\/p>

Prakash Chandra Arora<\/strong>: The founder of Prakash Kulfi. After his family migrated, he started selling kulfi in Lucknow.<\/p>

Shivaratri<\/strong>: An annual festival in honor of the god Shiva.<\/p>

Ganga Snan<\/strong>: The name of a festival day associated with bathing in the Ganges. In the text, it appears in one shop\u2019s former seasonal schedule.<\/p>

Ain-i Akbari<\/strong>: A record of Akbar\u2019s court and government. Apart from any recipes for milk sweets, it contains specific descriptions of cooling and of how ice was transported.<\/p>

Panhan<\/strong>: A place in the northern mountains, recorded as the starting point for ice sent to the court.<\/p>

Recipe<\/strong>: The full set of ingredient proportions and method.<\/p>

Malai<\/strong>: A term for the rich layer or cream that forms on the surface of milk.<\/p>

Overrun<\/strong>: In making frozen desserts, the rate at which volume increases as air is taken in.<\/p>

Matka<\/strong>: An earthenware vessel. It appears in discussions of kulfi containers, cooling and selling.<\/p>

Mughal<\/strong>: A dynasty that ruled South Asia from the 16th century onward. Its court cooling techniques are also discussed in the history of kulfi.<\/p>

Akbar<\/strong>: A Mughal emperor who reigned in the late 16th century.<\/p>

Saltpeter<\/strong>: A nitrate that also appears in the history of cooling. Its use was a different method from chilling molds with ice and salt, as described in the text.<\/p>

Kulfiwala<\/strong>: A term for a person who sells kulfi.<\/p>

Falooda<\/strong>: A sweet dish or drink containing thin, noodle-like strands. It is sometimes served with kulfi.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. Central Board of Secondary Education, \u201cDairy Products Technology,\u201d p.70<\/a> \u2014 Concentrated milk, molds, still freezing with ice and salt, and low overrun.<\/li>
  2. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, \u201cValue-added milk products\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Adding malai, covered molds of different shapes, and ice and salt.<\/li>
  3. The Ain-i Akbari, Blochmann\u2019s English translation, Book 1 Chapter 22<\/a> \u2014 Cooling at court with saltpeter and water, and ice transported from the north. It is not a record of the sweet\u2019s invention.<\/li>
  4. Platts Dictionary, \u201cqulf\u012b\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The 19th-century dictionary definition as a covered cup and a mold for ices.<\/li>
  5. Sanatkada Lucknow Festival, \u201cPrakash Kulfi\u201d<\/a> \u2014 The family\u2019s migration, the move from a street stall to a shop in 1956, and the shop\u2019s former seasonal schedule.<\/li>
  6. Delhi Tourism, \u201cCool Point\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Kulfi falooda in the Matia Mahal market.<\/li>
  7. Indian Journal of Dairy Science, \u201cAn Experimental Study on Freezing of Kulfi using Cryogen,\u201d abstract<\/a> \u2014 Abstract of an experiment on rapid freezing and ice crystals. The full paper has not been read.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kulfi is a South Asian frozen dessert made by reducing sweetened milk, pouring it into molds and freezing it. Besides cone-shaped kulfi on a stick, there are cylindrical versions and versions served in small vessels. Pistachio, almond, saffron, cardamom and mango are well-known flavors. Whatever the flavoring, all kulfi is made the same way: concentrated milk is frozen without much whipping.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7586,"menu_order":273,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Kulfi","subtitle":"Reducing the Milk and Keeping Air Out","topics":"Reducing milk and freezing it in molds\uff0fChilling the molds from the outside with ice and salt\uff0fFlavors of spices and fruit","country":"India (North India, etc.), South Asia","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["cream"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["chilled"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[164],"class_list":["post-8502","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"auto","sweetlore_related_articles":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t