রসগোল্লা

Rôshogolla combines rôsh (juice, syrup) + golla (ball). It's a ball of chhena (cottage cheese) soaked in sugar syrup—soft, spongy, impossibly sweet.

The origin is disputed. Bengal claims it was invented in Kolkata by Nobin Chandra Das in the 1860s. Odisha claims it's much older, offered at the Jagannath temple.

Regardless of origin, rasgulla became Bengal's most famous culinary export. Canned rasgullas are sold worldwide.

The word itself is pure Bengali—rôsh from Sanskrit rasa (juice, essence), golla from Sanskrit gola (sphere).