Mysur Pak – interesting tale of its origin
Kakasura Madappa was an official cook at Amba Vilas , the official residence of the Maharajas of Mysore. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the King in 1935 once felt an urge to eat sweets. Those days the meals in the palace were always extravagant. Madappa had only three things – gram flour, sugar and ghee. He made a syrup of this and served for desert. The ghee solidified the sweet a bit but was still more liquid. It melted the moment the King put it in his mouth. When the King asked what the sweet was, Madappa replied that it was Myusore Paka – Paka meaning sweet concoction. The King liked it so much that he decided to dedicate the sweet to Mysore. The king made him to make the sweet and distribute it to all the people of Mysore. He also gifted him a shop. Madappa’s decedents still run this shop which is near the Mysuru Palace. The sweet is very popular and it is served in functions . The syrup is flavored with various spice essences like cardamom, rose, honey etc.,
“Guru Sweet Mart” is a must stop by when you are in Mysuru. Three brothers run it. The interesting fact is that all the three brothers are never seen together at this shop. They take turn in running the shop. It is a corner shop that exudes energy
Seethalakshmi Iyengar
