Indian Mughal cuisine was highly influenced by the cuisines of Central Asia and especially Persia. In fact, the term "kulfi" derives from the Persian word "qulfe", which were conical shaped cups that would have been used to mould desserts. At least since 13th Century, summer drinks like sherbet were chilled using the ice and snow procured from the Himalayas, but it was the Arab technique of employing saltpetre to make ice that the imperial cooks used to prepare kulfi – by freezing a mixture of condensed milk, pistachios and saffron.
With the advent of technology, the ancient technique of using saltpetre has been replaced with modern commercial refrigerators and pushcart freezers. Today, only a handful of kulfiwallahs in India continue to use saltpetre for freezing purposes.
