 | |
| Type | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  India |
| Region or state | Mysore,Karnataka |
| Main ingredients | Sugar,Gram flour,Ghee |
Mysorepak (Kannada: ಮೈಸೂರು ಪಾಕ್, lit."Mysore's confection") is a traditionalIndian confectionary made primarily fromgram flour (besan),sugar, andghee and often flavoured withcardamom. It originated in the royal kitchens of theKingdom of Mysore, located in present-day the state ofKarnataka,India. The texture of this sweet is similar to both afudge and a buttery densecookie. Known for its rich, melt-in-the-mouth texture, Mysorepak is a signature sweet of Karnataka and is widely consumed across southern India during weddings, festivals, and celebrations. The sweet is also popular inBangladesh (locally referred to asMonsur) andPakistan.
Mysorepak was first prepared during the reign ofKrishna Raja Wadiyar IV, theMaharaja of Mysore, in the early 20th century. The Maharaja was known for his passion culinary arts of fine cuisine, maintained an elaborate royal kitchen inAmba Vilas inMysore (today commonly known as Mysore Palace).[1]
According to tradition, a palace chef namedKakasura Madappa experimented with a simple mixture of gram flour, sugar, and ghee to create a new variant ofmithai. This resulted a confectionary which had a distinctive golden color with a soft, fudgy but slightly crunchy texture, and a rich taste. When asked by the Maharaja for the name of the dish, Madappa reportedly called itMysorepak, simply referring to the city Mysore with the suffixpak resembling the cooking process.[2]
Impressed by the dessert, the Maharaja encouraged the chef, Madappa to open a sweet shop outside the premises of the palace, leading to the establishment of the now-famousGuru Sweets inDevaraja Market, Mysore. Today, the shop is run by Kumar, Nataraj and Shivanand, great-grandsons of Madappa and is still operated by Madappa's descendants. While the recipe had evovled over time, the shop continues to prepare Mysorepak using the original recipe.[3]
After thepartition of India in 1947, Mysorepak was introduced to Bengali commons ofSaidpur byBihari Muslim immigrants inEast Pakistan (modern-dayBangladesh) who settled in northern Bengal. It became referred to asMonsuri Mithai (Bengali: মনসুরী মিঠাই), or more commonly just asMonsur (Bengali: মনসুর) and became a popular dessert in weddings and milad gatherings inBangladesh.[4][5][6]
This tradition was passed down through generations of an immigrant businessman Md Bholar Dabi with his shop originally namedDilkhusha Sweetmeat (later asDilkhusha Mishtanna Bhandar) inSaidpur. However, unlike as a south Indian sweet, locals had traced its origins to anAfghan confectioner Monsur Pathan whom its name had derived, flourished by the patronage ofMughal emperors in imperialDelhi.[4][5] So called Monsur and Mysorepak had no major distinction and is considered as the same delicacy.
The preparation involves cooking sugar syrup to a precise consistency—traditionally known aspaaka—then gradually adding roastedgram flour (besan) and hotghee. It is 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. Constant stirring is required to ensure smoothness and prevent lumps. The mixture is cooked until it begins to leave the sides of the pan and is then poured into a greased tray, where it sets and is cut into cubes or rectangular blocks.
A key feature of Mysorepak is the mastery required to control thesugar-syrup stage, ranging from thread consistency tosoftball stage which influences the final fudgy and crunchy texture of the sweet. Some modern adaptations use refined oil along with or instead of ghee, and may include cardamom for flavor or baking soda for texture. It is The classic version, however, is known for using generous amounts of ghee to achieve a rich flavor and melt-in-the-mouth consistency.[7]
