As far as sweets are concerned, every town in Karnataka has its own specialities. But among them, Mysore Pak, which was invented in the royal kitchen of Mysore kings, has carved a niche for itself in the inernational market while highlighting the rich culinary heritage of India. Recently, Mysore Pak was ranked 14th among the 50 best street-food sweets worldwide making Karnataka proud again. With a rating of 4.4, Mysore Pak is among the top 50 snacks in the world on the online market.
Apart from Mysore Pak, Falooda and Kulfi Falooda are the other Indian desserts that are on the list.
Taste Atlas has released its Top 50 list of the world’s best street food sweets, in which Mysore Pak has been ranked 14th with a rating of 4.4 while Kulfi has been ranked 18th with a rating of 4.3 followed by Faluda ranked 32nd with a rating of 4.0.
This Mysuru cuisine was born during the reign of Mysore kings. 90-years-ago, Madappa, the royal chef in the Wodeyar kingdom of Mysuru, one day noticed that there was no dessert or sweet dish on the plate when the then-king Krishna Raja Wadiyar as he sat for dinner. And that is when he got an idea, he prepared a mixture of sugar-ghee-peanut flour. The sweet dish was highly praised by the Maharaja.
Speaking to the media, Shivananda, grandson of Tatsar Madappa, the man who invented Mysore Pak, said, “It’s a proud thing for every Kannadiga, especially for Mysorains. It’s also great news for every Indian. Mysore Pak was invented during King Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. My grandfather Tatsar Madappa used to prepare Mysore Pak whenever guests used to come home. When king asked what’s the name, they didn’t have a name for it. Later the king named it Mysore (place) and Pak (sweet). Since then people started calling it Mysore Pak. we are continuing same sweetness, trend and tradition.”
“Kannadigas are proud that Mysore Pak was first prepared in our Mysore. Mysore betel nut, Mysore silk, Mysore jasmine have also gained international fame. All these products will be exported from Mysore to the country and abroad. Mysore is also one of the favourite places in the world. Mysore is known as the city of palaces. Every day thousands of people come here to enjoy the beauty of this place,” he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar took to Twitter on Friday and shared his happiness over Mysore Pak being named among the world’s best street food sweets.
The tweet read, “Kannadigas are proud that Mysore Pak has been ranked 14th among the world’s top 50 street sweets published by Taste Atlas. My childhood memories of sharing mysore pak when my father and relatives who came home often brought me still. The hard work and skill of millions of chefs lies behind the Mysore Pak, which was born in the Mysore Palace and reaches every household today. All of them deserve credit for this.”
ಟೇಸ್ಟ್ ಅಟ್ಲಾಸ್ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿರುವ ವಿಶ್ವದ ಟಾಪ್ 50 ಬೀದಿಬದಿ ಸಿಹಿ ತಿನಿಸುಗಳ ಪೈಕಿ ಮೈಸೂರ್ ಪಾಕ್ 14ನೇ ಸ್ಥಾನ ಪಡೆದಿರುವುದು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ. ನನ್ನ ತಂದೆಯವರು ಹಾಗೂ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಕರು ಆಗಾಗ್ಗೆ ಮೈಸೂರು ಪಾಕ್ ತಂದಾಗ ಹಂಚಿ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ನೆನಪುಗಳು ಹಾಗೇ ಇವೆ. ಮೈಸೂರು ಅರಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಜನ್ಮತಾಳಿದ ಮೈಸೂರ್… pic.twitter.com/ryGQe9HzxC
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) July 21, 2023
Four years ago in 2019, Tamil Nadu, the origin of Mysore Pak, got the Tamil Nadu the GI tag. A photo of Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman getting a GI tag on behalf of Tamil Nadu also went viral. At this time, Karnataka expressed strong anger against the central government and Nirmala Sitharaman. But again it proved to be fake news.
Alongside Mysore Pak, two other Indian desserts, Falooda and Kulfi Falooda, also earned well-deserved spots on the list of the world’s top 50 street sweets. At the pinnacle of this sweet celebration stands Portugal’s beloved Pastel de nata, securing its place as the ultimate street food sweet according to Taste Atlas, the esteemed food-based magazine renowned for its comprehensive reviews and insights into street foods from around the globe.
