Dharwad Peda

Better known for giving birth to musical maestros like Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansur, and Gungubai Hangal, the Dharwadi Gharana (genre) extends its magic to the region’s iconic sweet palette as well, the undisputed identity of which is the famous Dharwad Pedha. Deriving its name from the Karnataka city where it has emerged and flourished for the last 175 years, the Dharwad Pedha is a delectable, sweet delicacy unique to the region and believed by many to be a modification of the equally famous Mathura Pedha in many ways.

The Dharwad Pedha is traditionally made from the milk of Dharwadi buffaloes raised by the Gavali community in and around Dharwad. This sweet delicacy is prepared by mixing Khoya (condensed milk), ghee (clarified butter), sugar and milk and constantly stirring the mixture on low heat for at least an hour and a half that gives the Pedha its quintessential rich brown colour.

The hot blend is then crushed into smaller pieces, moulded into shapes, rolled in sugar, and given an optional touch of cardamom. Though it seems easy to replicate, the recipe of the Dharwad Pedha rests more on the meticulous proportions rather than the ingredients themselves.

It is believed that the Dharwad Pedha finds its origin in a pandemic of the bygone era. The plague epidemic of China towards the end of the 19th century had spread like a wildfire to most port cities and reached Bombay in the summer of 1896. To escape the clutches of the deadly disease, Ratan Singh Thakur and family migrated from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh to Dharwad in Karnataka and started a confectionery in the city’s Line Bazar area for sustenance.

It was here that Ratan Thakur created the Dharwad Pedha which quickly became a hit and later, went on to win a G.I. tag for Karnataka. The sweet is sometimes also referred to as the Line Bazaar Pedha, the name it had become famous by in the initial days. Today, the shop is run by the sixth generation of the Thakur family and produces a whooping 700 kg of Pedha each day to meet the unfathomable demand.