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India's 'Ras Malai' Earned Second Spot In The '10 Best Cheese Desserts' Globally

India's cherished dessert, ras malai, has earned the second spot in Taste Atlas' ranking (Traditional Food Awards) of the '10 Best Cheese Desserts' globally. Originating from West Bengal, this delightful sweet is surpassed only by Poland's sernik, a baked cheesecake crafted with twarog cheese. It is a popular Indian dessert, a spongy and creamy delight made from cottage cheese called 'chhena' discs cooked in sugar syrup and soaked in cardamom-flavored sweet milk syrup known as 'rabdi'. The name comes from the Bengali words ''ras,'' which means juice, and ''malai,'' which means cream. Ras malai is known for its delicate cheese dumplings soaked in saffron-infused milk syrup and originates from West Bengal. It is also popular in Bangladesh and Pakistan. A photo of a dish of ras malai was taken at Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on 04/06/2024. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#11124128
Date Taken	6 April 2024
Location	N/A
Photographer	Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto

India dessert ras malai Taste Atlas Traditional Food Awards cheese desserts second spot West Bengal sernik Poland baked cheesecake twarog cheese Indian dessert spongy creamy cottage cheese chhena sugar syrup cardamom sweet milk syrup rabdi Bengali juice cream cheese dumplings saffron milk syrup Bangladesh Pakistan Tehatta Soumyabrata Roy NurPhoto photo culinary ranking global cuisine traditional sweets culinary heritage cultural delicacy.