    Mandige in Preparation | Dharwad Pedha
Dharwad Pedha traces its historical origin to Thakur family which migrated from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh to Dharwad after the dreaded plague broke out there sometime in early 19th Century. With meagre funds, Shri. Ram Ratan Singh Thakur (first generation sweet maker) started making ‘pedhas’ and selling them and gradually, it started becoming popular. Shri. Ram Ratan Singh Thakur’s grandson, Shri. Babu Singh Thakur, built the reputation of the ‘pedha’ with a missionary zeal. Within no time, the ‘pedha’ became so popular that local people of Dharwad began identifying it by his name and as ‘Line Bazaar Pedha’ (the name of the street on which the shop is located). The technique of preparing these ‘pedhas’ however remains a closely guarded trade secret, known only to the family members of Shri. Babusingh Thakur, as handed down the generations, by father to son. Babusingh Thakur had only one outlet to sell Pedhas, which were made in limited quantity for decades. But now few outlets have been added. Apart from this Mishra Pedha's are also popular, as these have more outlets & available through the day. Mishra has many outlets in twin cities of Dharwad & Hubli. Apart from this the cities of Bangaluru & Pune have Dharwad Pedha outlets. Many local sweet shops sell similar pedhas as Dharwadi pedha in Pune. But the original Babu Singh Thakur Peda is not to be missed when in Dharwad since it tastes distinctly different and retains its freshness for a much longer period. [Read More] Karadantu means fried-edible gum in the local language, Kannada.
It is made of edible gum mixed with dry fruits and has a chewy texture.
The other ingredients used in its preparation are fried bengal gram flour, jaggery and seeds of marking-nut (Semecarpus anacardium) tree. Gokak town in Belgaum district and Amingarh of Hunagunda Taluk in Bagalkot district of Karnataka is famous for the karadantu produced in its sweet shops.
This delicacy is abundantly available in Dharwad Sweet Shops. However, it is worthwhile to visit the nearby town of Gokak, to savour its original taste.
Kunda Kunda comes from Belgaum, 80km from Dharwad. Kunda also has an interesting history that can be traced back to the times of Gajanan Mithaiwala in Vitthal Dev Galli, Shahpur who set up his sweet shop six decades ago in Belgaum. Referred to as Jakku Marwadi Mithaiwala, he came from Rajasthan and set up a sweet shop at Shahpur area. (The shop is still there and running and serving great Kunda)
Kunda is prepared purely from milk and khowa. A correct quantity of khowa and sugar has to be mixed in milk before boiling it. Once the mixture starts boiling, it has to be continuously stirred until it takes a solid form. The discovery of this sweet was quite incidental. Once, Jakku Marwadi was boiling milk in his kitchen. In a hurry, he forgot to switch the stove off and the milk continued boiling for a long time. Gradually, the milk had taken a solid form by the time Jakku Marwadi came back to switch the stove off. When he tasted the solid form of milk, it tasted sweet. Then, he mixed some khowa into the milk and started boiling it for long hours. This time the taste was even better. A happy Marwadi gave the sweet a name — calling it Kunda. After Jakku Marwadi discovered it was followed up by the Purohits and the one camp became famous for its cleanliness and good quality. With time the packing of the Kunda has also changed. From the old box packing to the latest canned Kunda with a shelf life of up to 6 months to the tetra pack. Mandige This is an ancient dish mentioned in a few inscriptions as the Sanskritised mandaka. For instance, a Western Chalukya inscription of A.D. 1121 mentions that Govinda-Dandadhipa, a famous general of Vikramaditya VI, is said to have made a provision for offering this dish as naivedya to Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara, at Pauthage. Almost a must at weddings, do not miss this if you get a chance to attend a friend's wedding in Dharwad.
|
Tourism >
