jalebi

American  

[juh-lee-bee, -ley-, -leb-ee] / dʒəˈli bi, -ˈleɪ-, -ˈlɛb i /

Also jilebi,

noun

1. a dessert popular in South and Central Asia, consisting of spirals of batter that are deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup.

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Etymology

Origin of jalebi

First recorded in 1865–70; from Hindi or Urdu jalebī, ultimately from Persian zalābīya “fried doughnut”

Example Sentences

Tentative plans to pick up some jalebi, a deep-fried sweet snack, go out the window, but I do stop into Quality Foods, a supermarket with subcontinental treats, to pick up some spices.

From Washington Post • Jun. 17, 2022

One scene in the movie features Saroo having a flashback, triggered by a plate of jalebi, a fried-dough treat from his childhood that Brierley says his family could rarely afford.

From Washington Post • Dec. 2, 2016

One recent evening, the victim and her parents sat in the front room of their modest concrete house in a lower-class neighborhood of Lucknow, sipping gingery tea and nibbling hot jalebi sweets.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2016

The intoxicating smell of freshly fried jalebi pastry lingers in the air, and, sometimes, Somali songs can be heard in the distance.

From Slate • Oct. 31, 2014

At the food kiosks in the lobby, patrons lined up for jalebi, aloo vada and samosa chole.

From Time Magazine Archive