Saturday, January 12, 2013

Joynagar er Moa

Joynagar er Moa is a famous but rustic sweet of Bengal. Made from khoi , kheer and nolen gur, it is only a winter treat made in the small town of Joynagar about 50 kms from Kolkata. My father sent me these pictures from the local sweet shops in Kolkata which also sell this sweet during winter.

As a child I however remember hawkers from the village, going from home to home, selling this delicacy. They would come on bicycles, loaded with plain white paper boxes tied with yellow or blue strings,the boxes labeled as "Joynagar er Moa" in Bengali scripts. Some of those sellers were authentic, some not. Mother would know. Those plump round balls with raisin at the center and rounds of patali gur were the treats we looked forward to every winter.

Here is a good article on how they are made.

I had last tasted a joynagar er moa a decade back. This time my Father found someone who was traveling to US and is sending some for us. I cannot wait for tomorrow, for those soft sweet moas.





8 comments:

  1. What a coincidence, Sandeepa! Only yesteray I savoured Joynogorer Moa at a Bong neighbour's place at a get-together, who had just returned from her detour of Kolkatta 'maika'! Awesome, yummie! Only issue was that it smelt of the carton in which it was packed. Many make the mistake of not immediately storing them in a different container, plastic or otherwise to avoid this smell.

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  2. It has been years since I've had moa...sigh.

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  3. Don't know what they are. Explain in English please? Gur I figure is palm jaggery. What is moa?

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  4. This is so new to me. Wonder if its available outside India?

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  5. congratulations on the stack of moas coming to you. This is truly a happy new year. I love joynagorer moas and its been ages since i have had any

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  6. I never tasted i guess, lucky gal, Happy Sakkranthi to you and your family!

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  7. Debosmita BanerjeeJanuary 17, 2013 3:02 PM

    My father' s side is from Joynagar..so the taste is still there with me..and my uncle(kaka/chacha) would speacially oder moya for me!! I miss all of them now..winter is not same without Moya for me...

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  8. Can anyone tell me the english word for mowa???? It's urgent..

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