Karnataka’s signature sweet

The Royal Mysore Pak at Guru Sweet is the stuff tradition is made of.

By Mehak Afshan

Mysore Pak is one of the signature sweets of Karnataka. This sweet is available everywhere but the authentic ‘Mysore Pak’ is only available at the Guru Sweet Mart located in Devaraja Market, in Mysore. This sweet stall belongs to the chief chef Kakasura Madappa who invented the ‘Mysore Pak’ in 1935.

Once the chief chef Kakasura Madappa was asked by Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV to cook sweets for the guests arriving at the palace. As he was adept at making sweets, he tried a unique combination of ghee, gram flour, sugar syrup and served it to the royal guests at Amba Vilas Palace. The Wadiyar loved the sweet so much that he coined it the ‘Mysore Pak’. He wanted the public also to taste this royal delicacy and that is how Guru Sweets came about. Presently, it is run by the great-grandsons of Kakasura Madappa.

Now the sweet is made by the brothers at their ancestral home located on a calm street a stone’s throw away from the central market area. They then transport their cubes of joy through the day to the store based on customer demands. If you’re lucky, whichever of the three brothers is available at the stall will hand you two squares of the sweet on a piece of newspaper. The fresh smell of the toasted butter gives us the first hint that this isn’t some measly sample amount. Once we plop the gooey sweet into our mouths, we realize the deep richness that a simple mix of gheesugar flour can carry. There is no sign of pastiness or crumbliness, the flaws of the wet and dry varieties respectively. It’s the perfect symphony of texture, temperature, and flavour: melt-in-mouth, warm and not-too-sweet.

There are two types of ‘Mysore Pak’ in Guru Sweets: the ‘wet’ one -- the gheeinfused, fudge version. And another is in the powdery, porous blocks that small stores and restaurants sell from glass jars.

Even today, ‘Mysore Pak’ is considered the king of sweets in South India. The women of Mysore, during the 10 days of Dasara festivities, are supposed to prepare at least 51 traditional items. A platter of food and sweets without a bit of Mysore Pak in it is incomplete. It’s also traditionally served in weddings and other festivities of southern India and is very popular in baby showers as well.