Rasgulla — Sponge Chhena Balls in Sugar Syrup (রসগোল্লা)

West Bengal and Odisha have competing claims; the current scholarly consensus recognises an Odia origin (chhena poda and chhena-based sweets predate Bengal's record) with Bengal developing the syrup-boiled form

Rasgulla (রসগোল্লা) is Bengal's most exported sweet: perfectly spherical, spongy balls of chhena (fresh milk solids) cooked in a thin sugar syrup at a rolling boil until they double in size and attain a springy, juicy interior. The technique is precise in every detail. The chhena is made from full-fat cow's or buffalo's milk split with lemon juice or citric acid (not vinegar — which introduces an undesirable flavour), kneaded for 20–25 minutes until smooth and fat-free-feeling, shaped into perfect spheres, and dropped into boiling syrup. The boiling syrup both cooks the chhena protein and forces the balls to puff — reducing heat produces flat, dense rasgulla rather than the characteristic spongy sphere.

Served chilled, swimming in their own syrup. The syrup carries rose water and the chhena's mild milky flavour. Eaten with a spoon, the rasgulla is pressed against the mouth to release the syrup inside — this is the eating experience.