{"id":8647,"date":"2026-10-27T13:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T04:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8647"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:51:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:51:52","slug":"chomchom","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/chomchom\/","title":{"rendered":"Chomchom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chomchom is a Bengali sweet made by simmering chhena, which is made by curdling milk, in sweet syrup. The version famed in Porabari, in Bangladesh’s Tangail District, is distinguished by its elongated oval shape and a brown color reminiscent of fired brick. It holds syrup inside and has a moist sweetness.<\/p>\n

\"Brown
An example of Porabari chomchom. 2016, Bangladesh. Photo: Ferdous \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Downscaled version from the hosting source; no changes to the content after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From Milk to Oval<\/h2>\n

At one shop in Tangail, milk is boiled and then curdled with whey left over from the previous time milk was curdled. The chhena obtained by draining off the liquid is combined with a small amount of wheat flour, rolled into ovals, and simmered in sugar syrup. After time to cool, the brown chomchom are set out in the shop. The milk solids are kneaded and shaped, and the sweetness of the simmering syrup is absorbed inside.<\/p>\n

Rasgulla<\/a> is also a sweet made by simmering chhena in syrup, but Porabari chomchom can be distinguished by its long shape and its color. Chomchom also come in white, pale yellow, and pink, and some are coated with coconut or mawa. The shape and color of one region’s specialty do not apply to every sweet with the same name.<\/p>\n

\"Malai
Malai chomchom from Kolkata. 2022, Kolkata, India. Photo: Ravi Dwivedi \/ Source<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>. Downscaled version from the hosting source; no changes to the content after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Porabari
Porabari chomchom served on a plate. 2007-10-27, Bangladesh; coordinates recorded by the photographer. Photo: P.K.Niyogi \/ Source<\/a> \/ PD-self<\/a>. Downscaled version from the hosting source; no changes to the content after retrieval.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Memories of a River Port and the Name of a Place<\/h2>\n

In Porabari, it is said that the confectioner Dasharath Gour began making this sweet. Bangladesh’s cultural heritage records document this local account while noting that there is little evidence to establish who first made it. Those records also preserve a legend that the water of the Dhaleshwari River gave the sweet its flavor. This can be understood not as proof of a link between the properties of the water and the taste, but as one explanation through which local people describe the sweet’s distinctive character.<\/p>\n

Porabari was once a river port where boats stopped and passengers bought sweets to take with them. A sweets market also grew up in the city of Tangail, and some shops have workshops behind them. During the New Year festival of Pohela Boishakh and the puja season, more people reportedly come to the shops looking for sweets. It is a sweet that carries the name of its place and is also given at weddings and celebrations and when visiting relatives.<\/p>\n

The family of Madan Chandra Gour, interviewed in Porabari, used the courtyard of their home as a place to make sweets. According to his wife, Jharna, her husband and children were also involved in the work, but she worried about rising ingredient prices and whether the work could be passed on to the next generation. The sweets made by the family’s hands are carried, along with the name of their place, to distant towns as well.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Chhena<\/strong>: Milk solids obtained by curdling milk with acid or similar and draining off the liquid. Used in South Asian sweets.<\/p>

Whey<\/strong>: The liquid left after milk is curdled and the solids are separated.<\/p>

Mawa<\/strong>: A dairy product made by simmering milk down to reduce its moisture.<\/p>

Dasharath Gour<\/strong>: A confectioner who appears in local lore about the origin of Porabari chomchom.<\/p>

Madan Chandra Gour<\/strong>: A confectioner who makes sweets in Porabari.<\/p>

Jharna<\/strong>: Madan’s wife, who makes sweets together with him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chomchom is a Bengali sweet made by simmering chhena, which is made by curdling milk, in sweet syrup. The version famed in Porabari, in Bangladesh’s Tangail District, is distinguished by its elongated oval shape and a brown color reminiscent of fired brick. It holds syrup inside and has a moist sweetness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7877,"menu_order":418,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Chomchom","subtitle":"Ingredients and Preparation of Chomchom","topics":"Shaping chhena made from curdled milk \/ Simmering in sugar syrup and cooling \/ The elongated sweet of Porabari, Tangail District","country":"Porabari, Tangail District, Bangladesh","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["cheese","cream"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["cooked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[164],"class_list":["post-8647","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