The precise composition of kesari bath varies regionally depending on the availability of ingredients.

The word kesari in multiple Indian languages refers to the spice saffron which creates the dish's saffron-orange-yellow-colored tinge.

[3] Though it is a sweet dish, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is prepared not only as a dessert but also for normal breakfasts.

It is commonly known as sheera in Marathi/Hindi, rava kesari in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil, and suji halwa in North India and Bangladesh.

The dish is listed as shali-anna in Manasollasa, a 12th-century work by the Chalukya king Someshvara III.