Gulgula (doughnut)

Gulgula is a traditional sweet made in different regions of India. It is one of the most popular sweets in the market places, it is traditionally made on specific festive occasions in rural areas. They are common in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Odisha, Haryana, Rajasthan and are also made by overseas Indians in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Jamaica, Mauritius, the United States, South Africa, and Fiji.

They are similar to donut holes in USA, and are very simple to make. They use ordinary wheat flour, sugar (traditionally jaggery), and occasionally spices (fennel seeds are common) for flavoring. Yogurt, banana pulp, yeast or baking powder may be used. They are fried in oil or ghee just like donuts. In the Caribbean, they are made using overripened bananas are mixed with flour and spices and then fried.

History
Traditionally they were made with jaggery (gud गुड़). There is a popular Hindi expression - गुड़ खाना,  गुलगुले से परहेज करना- they eat gud, but avoid gulgulas (that contain gud).

The gulgula confection was first mentioned in Pasanaha Cariu (Parshvanath Charit) of Vibudh Shridhar of 1132 AD., written during the Tomara rule in Delhi, shortly before establishment of the short Chauhan rule.