The Telugu word 'poota' literally means 'a layer' and the word 'reku' means 'a sheet'. As the name says 'putarekulu' are made of layers of ultra thin and crispy sheets made of rice flour. Traditionally these layers are sandwiched with ghee and finely powdered sugar. There are variations where finely powdered jaggery is used instead of sugar. To enhance the taste, chopped dry fruits are added.
Rice flour, sugar and ghee are the main ingredients of this special sweet. Ultra thin coats / layers of rice flour batter made of too thin consistency are spread on hot outer rounded part of objects like the earthen pot and the like. The moment the batter is spread, it turns into an ultra thin sheet. These sheets are piled one above the other sandwiched with coats of finely powdered sugar and ghee. The pile of sheets are then rolled in a particular style to make the final product i.e the 'putarekulu'.
This sweet item is specially served in various social and religious functions / feasts like traditional marriages, seemantham / Indian traditional baby shower and other such functions. However this sweet item is not at all good for diabetic patients as it is full of sugar.
Almost all the popular sweet shops in the Telugu speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana sell this wonderful sweet item. The shelf life of this sweet is around one month.
Next time when you happen to visit Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, don't forget to taste this special sweet.