Mysore Pak

In culinary literature, the phrase ‘melt in the mouth’ is often used to convey—or sometimes exaggerate—a food item’s moist and juicy consistency. However, the South Indian treasure trove of delicacies hides a gem that literally dissolves the moment you put it in your mouth – Mysore Pak. From weddings to festivals, baby showers to feasts, to the people of Karnataka, the seraphic taste of the coveted sweet is indispensable and irreplaceable.

Surprisingly, the Mysore Pak is made from three primary ingredients only—ghee, sugar, and gram flour. The mixture is cooked to a syrupy consistency and flavoured with cardamom, rose water, and honey. When allowed to cool and solidify a little, the blend turns dense and buttery into a hot, fudge-like sweet, which is called Nalapaka or Paka (sweet concoction) in Kannada.

Judging by the sweet’s vast popularity, it is hard to believe that the Mysore Pak has been around for less than a century. The sweet originated in the royal kitchen of the Amba Vilas Palace in Mysore in 1935. Legend has it that the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, was a food connoisseur and an ardent lover of desserts. One day, he instructed his head chef, Kakasura Madappa, to prepare a new sweet that would be delectable yet unique. Madappa started experimenting, and after several permutations and combinations, came up with the Nalapaka, which he served hot along with other delicacies in the royal thali. By the time the Maharaja finished his main course, the sweet had hardened a bit, gaining its perfectly porous and soft texture. When asked the name of the dish, Madappa quickly conjured up the title Mysore Paka, or Mysore Pak, as it is called today. Krishna Raja was so impressed with the divine taste of the dessert that he instructed Madappa to open a sweet shop outside the premises of the royal palace to give the common people a taste of this incredible discovery. It is said that the shop opened by Madappa came to be known as Mysore’s famous Guru Sweets, maintained by his grandsons to this day.

Like other accidental discoveries, Mysore Pak is a true testimony to the rich culinary heritage of the Deccan, the ingenuity of India’s traditional cookhouses, and the nation’s historical affinity for sweets. A true signature of Karnataka and its royal heritage, you can never have enough of this sinful indulgence.