Source: TW
Magic of Besan, Ghee and Sugar in the realm of Kandois - Fascinating story of Mesur Pak and its journey to the palace of Mysore.
Time to time one comes across the twitter about the various claims of the origin of Mysore pak. One of the most well accepted claim attributes its origin in Mysore palace during the reign of Rajarshi Maharaja - Krishnaraja Wodeyar in the early 20th century. Here is the brief story of the “accidental” invention of Mysore pak by the chef of Maharaja as narrated by the acclaimed historian Vikram Sampath ji himself.
As Someone with passing interest in Indian culinary history and bit knowledge of Gujarati cuisine I find this claim bit problematic. For Gujaratis have a similar sweet also known as Mesur pak/Meshub and it can very well be the sweet that is popularly known as Mysore pak in south. To prove this we have to answer three basic questions
- Is Mesur and Mysore Pak same?
- If they are same then which one predates the other?
- And if Mesur is older than Mysore pak than how was it introduced to Kannadigas?
Lets Answer all three questions one by one.
Is Mesur and Mysore Pak same?
Not only the names itself are very similar but Both are famous for using only 3 ingredients - Besan, sugar and Ghee. Method of cooking seems to be the same as well bearing few variations (on which some culinary expert can elaborate in detail).
It is worth mentioning that Gujaratis now know for sometime that both are the same sweets. knowingly or unknowingly words Mesur and Mysore Pak are often used interchangeably both by ordinary Gujjus & Gujju food bloggers alike. Having said that one can notice one big difference. Gujarati version has strong emphasis on porous/Jalidar texture and triple layer look. While Mysore pak (Especially the often shown by their tweeter fans) often lacks that texture and is often soft. It is perhaps the reason why to a Gujju palette Mysore pak feels like some messed up version of Gujju sweet. However as pointed out by someone on twitter Original Mysore Pak is indeed supposed to be Hard and porous as well as one can see in video.
Compare the above video with this one from Swaminarayan temple in Bhuj where saints are making Mesur and you can see how both are very similar.(again note how they have used words Mesub Pak and Mysore pak interchangeably.
So we can say with some surety that they both are same. Ofcourse I am not a culinary expert and I will welcome their opinion but from my basic inquiry they both are same in terms of the ingredients, methods of making it and serving. So now that we have established with certain surety that they both are indeed same, lets move to the second (and most important) question.
Which came first? Mesur Pak or Mysore Pak?
As per the Mysorean version narrated above, it was invented in the court of illustrious ruler of Mysore - Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar whose reign falls in the early part of 20th century. While I can’t varify it, on net, year of 1935 is popularly associated with its invention.
How about Mesur Pak? It definitely predates that time frame For eg this famous Kandoi shop of Jamnagar is making Meshub since 1866 and now being run by the 4th generation of the Kandoi who founded the shop. That alone is enough to prove its antiquity. But there are other evidences as well. For eg recipe of Mesur is also mentioned in this 4th edition of Gujarati cook book “Vividh Vani” which was published in 1926 which again slightly predates the year of 1935. Not only it gives two variants of Mesur - one by Hindu Kandois (Equivalent to Halwai in Gujarat and Rajsthan) and other by Parsis but also gives other variants. As such Mesur was already well known to the Gujaratis by early 19th century and certainly before 1935.
On side note: Various Gujarati works of Pakashastra - both medieval and early modern ones is in itself a very fascinating subject. Parsi Author Vividh Vani also has an interesting albeit a tragic story. Anyway coming back to the topic…
If one goes even back into the past then there is also a mention of “Mahisuk” among the sweets in the medieval work on Gujarati Pakashstra. Unfortunately that will require detailed inquiry but it isn’t unreasonable to assume that it is the earliest reference to Mesur pak.
Intro to mysore
As such we can say with full certainty that Mysore pak is indeed Mesur Pak and originates from Gujarat and not Mysore as is the popular belief. Which leads us to the last question - How did it reach from Gujarat to Mysore and the origin of the story of Mysore palace? It is very much possible that Mesur pak was indeed introduced to south during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja…However the story as it is being told is probably missing some details.
One very eminent Gujarati personality was present in Maharaja’s court at that time. Maharaja’s own wife - Maharani Lakshmivilas Sannidhana Sri Pratapa Kumaribai Devi Ammani Avaru hailed from the small principality of Vana in Saurashtra, Gujarat. It makes more sense to assume that she was the one who introduced it to the Maharaja and then subsequently to Mysore. Perhaps she (or the chef accompanying her from Gujarat) herself made it? or she recommended it to chef? One can only guess but it is certainly more believable claim and backed by proper evidence than the claim of accidental discovery by the chef.
I hope it will put an end to the controversy around it. Now enjoy your Mesur Pak and praise Devi Annapurna! 😎