Today is being celebrated as Mysore Pak Day in many parts of Tamil Nadu as a mark of respect to Amudha Semmal N.K. Mahadeva Iyer, who popularised Mysore Pak in Tamil Nadu.

A highly patronised sweetmeat manufacturing enterprise of Tamil Nadu, Sri Krishna Sweets, founded by Amudha Semmal N.K. Mahadeva Iyer, with several branches all over Tamil Nadu, popularised the famous sweetmeat Mysore Pak which has now been bestowed the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. The enterprise is said to be of several decades vintage.

Today's celebration in several places in Tamil Nadu should heighten the euphoria of patrons of the sweet in the land of Kannada though there are no celebrations in the land of its birth!

It was in the early years of the 20th century during the period of Nalawadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (1884-1940), the then royal cook Kakasura Madappa had just completed the dish prepared by chance for the royal palate. He liked dishing out different dishes to the King who in turn appreciated them.

Madappa, at the Mysore Palace kitchen, simply made a batter of besan (gram flour), ghee and sugar and baked it.

The new variety of sweet prepared more by accident than by design, delighted the royalties so much that it became a "Royal Sweet". When asked its name, Madappa obviously didn't have its name, so he simply called it as ‘Mysore Paka’ later called as Mysore Pak, a delicacy from the Mysore Palace.

The King relished the sweet so much that he got Madappa to set up a shop outside the Palace grounds so that it could be made available to common people.

It soon became a famous royal sweet and the name Mysore Pak spread beyond the boundaries of Mysore and Tamil Nadu is celebrating its taste !

Courtesy: Star Of Mysore