Mysorepak ( , literally, Mysore's

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

) is a type of mithai (sweetmeat) from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is prepared with only three ingredients:

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

and besan. It originated in the royal kitchen of

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially ...

. Now

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

is one of the major cities in the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. It is prepared from generous amount of

along with

and gram flour more often flovoured with

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...

. The texture of this sweet is similar to both a

fudge ''Fudge'' is a generic role-playing game system for use in freeform role-playing games. The name "''FUDGE''" was once an acronym for ''Freeform Universal Donated'' (later, ''Do-it-yourself'') ''Gaming Engine'' and, though the acronym has since b ...

and a buttery dense

cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...

. It is also popular in the neighbouring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh (it is known as ''Monsur'' in Bangladesh).

History

It is prepared as part of wedding meal, also popular during festivals and major events of celebration in southern India. The

Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore. In ...

Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth Maharaja of Mysore, reigning from 1902 until his death in 1940. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is popularly deemed a '' rajarshi'', or 'saintly king', a moniker with which Mah ...

who was a great connoisseur maintained his royal kitchen at the Amba Vilas Palace in

with lots of care and perfection. Kakasura Madappa, one of the

chefs A chef is a professional cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the director or head of a kitchen. Chefs can receive f ...

known for preparing sweets (sweet master) began experimenting, wanted to present the Maharaja of Mysore with something unique. Adding gram flour, ghee and sugar, he prepared a '' mithai''. It was not only soft but also it had a mild crunchy texture with golden colour. This sweetmeat was similar to a fudge but with little crunch, a very unusual but an extraordinary culinary skill. Madappa was called in and asked for its name. He said the first thing that came to his mind - 'Mysore-Paak'. The

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

loved the sweet so much that he asked Madappa to open a sweet shop outside the premises of the palace. ''Paaka'' just means ''cooking'' and is associated with

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

mastered by only a few cooks, some of whom keep their methods secret. Example

Nala Nala () is a legendary king of ancient Nishadha kingdom and the central protagonist of the '' Nalopakhyana'', a sub-narrative within the Indian epic '' Mahabharata'', found in its third book, '' Vana Parva'' (Book of the Forest). He is renown ...

-paka which means Nala's culinary art. Paka Shala is kitchen, Paka Shastra is 'the science and art of cooking'. In the word Mysorepak, 'Pak = confection'. It has no connection with the country Pakistan, Mysorepak was invented way before Pakistan was formed. It is derived from ''Sakkare Paaka'', ''KadleHittu'' and ''Tuppa'' (sugar

syrup In cooking, syrup (less commonly sirup; from ; , beverage, wine and ) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a Solution (chemistry), solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but ...

blended with gram flour and clarified butter in right consistency). The sugar is called sakkare 'paaka' when it achieves a perfect precision during the preparation of Mysorepak ( thread stage to the

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

stage). A skilled professional will know the right consistency. This sugar syrup which is 'sakre-paaka' is used as the primary sweetening agent in various sweets of Karnataka like Jhilebi, Badusha, Badampuri, Jahangir and many more but 'paaka' changes for each dish. Only for Gulab Jamun the cloudy watery sugar syrup is not 'paaka' but called 'Kshira' which means milk (indicating the syrup's viscosity should be of milk). The recipe improved through the years. However, the original sweet made with the original recipe is still available at the famous "Guru Sweets" stores in Devaraja Market, run by Kumar and Shivanand, great-grandsons of Madappa.

Ingredients

Mysore Pak is made from

, gram flour,

and or

cooking oil Cooking oil (also known as edible oil) is a plant or animal liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. Oil allows higher cooking temperatures than water, making cooking faster and more flavorful, while likewise distributing h ...

. It is very common

dessert Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as cake, biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as dessert wine or liqueur. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly umami, ...

throughout India especially in the southern states of the country. Other ingredients that may or may not be used are

baking soda Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt (chemistry), salt compose ...

and

Attributes

Below are some of the attributes of the sweet Shape: Mysore pak is cut into cubes or cuboids. Texture: Regular Mysorepak - Hard and porous when made with combination of ghee and oil. Moisture from the sugar syrup escapes as steam through the greased gram flour rendering Mysorepak porous. Excess ghee, if any, may fill in such pores rendering it dense. Special Mysorepak - Soft and dense when made with only ghee. Colour: Yellow on top to dark brown in the middle and a light brown in the bottom (due to continued cooking in the tray). A skilled chef can make three shades in a piece of Mysorepak. Shelf life: Very little water is used in the preparation, so it can stay fresh in a cool and dry place, but it should be consumed within one month only.

References

External links

Mysore pak
– Indian Mirror Karnataka cuisine Indian desserts Indian confectionery Geographical indications in Karnataka Mysore district Culture of Mysore {{india-dessert-stub Chickpea dishes

History

Ingredients

Attributes

See also

References

External links