The story
Mysore pak comes from the royal kitchens of Mysore Palace in southern India. The story goes that the palace cook Kakasura Madappa, short of a dessert, stirred gram flour, sugar and ghee into a syrup that set into a golden, fudgy sweet, and when the maharaja asked its name he called it Mysore paka, from the Kannada word for a sweet made from syrup. Most accounts place this under Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV in the early 20th century, others under his 19th-century predecessor. The maharaja is said to have urged Madappa to sell it outside the palace, and his descendants still run Guru Sweets in the city.
Also known as Mysore paak, Mysorepak, ಮೈಸೂರು ಪಾಕ್, Mysurpa.
On the Meridish menu
Mysore pak was the dessert course on menu No. 15 on October 15, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A golden, melt-in-the-mouth fudge of gram flour, sugar and lots of ghee. A palace cook invented it for a maharaja in this southern city of royal palaces.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_pak
- outlooktraveller.com/experiences/food-and-drink/a-royal-delicacy-continues-to-enthral-mysore
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
